Much More Than Magic
by thatgirl93
Summary: In this fic, we follow our favourite heroes as they attempt to begin their lives following the Battle of Hogwarts. With so many changes, will they ever find their way to normality? Rated M for MATURE CONTENT!
1. When You're Gone

It had been three days since the Weasley family had laid Fred to rest. The family had slowly begun to piece themselves back together after the great battle of Hogwarts, although Molly and Arthur still felt an ache in their hearts that they were sure would never fade. The couple knew that _no_ loss was easy, especially the loss of a child. But, they had six other children that needed them, and they would be there for them at all costs. George had thrown himself back into working at the joke shop, knowing in his heart that that's what his twin brother would have wished for. Charlie and Bill had come together at their parents' house to help in any way that they could. Percy had begun helping the Ministry prosecute those responsible for the death and destruction caused at Hogwarts on that fateful night. Ginny spent most of her time with Harry, allowing him to fix her as well as fixing him in return. Ron, however, was struggling to cope at all. For almost a fortnight, he had stayed up in his room, alone, with the exception of Fred's funeral of course. He didn't want to pretend that he was okay, and he certainly didn't want to 'put on a brave face' as Percy had put it. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to sulk and cry and be furious at the whole world. And somewhere deep within his heart, he knew there was only one person who could fix him. Hermione. But, three days after the battle had ended, Hermione had set off to Australia with Kingsley Shacklebolt in order to bring her parents' home. He understood that this was something she needed to do. He understood more than anyone. But he missed her with every fibre of his being. He replayed the same memory over and over again in his mind, the only memory that made him feel whole at the moment...

It was the morning after the battle. Harry, Ron and Hermione were still at Hogwarts as everyone pulled together to begin fixing what once was. The three of them had been ordered to get some rest whilst they still could, and as Harry followed Ginny to the girl's dormitory, Hermione and Ron were left alone in the Gryffindor common room, a deafening silence surrounding them.

"You should get some rest. You look so tired", Hermione suddenly told him.

"Is that code for 'I look like shit'?", he attempted to joke. Hermione gave a breathy laugh as she shook her head, blushing slightly at his use of language. She suddenly reached into her beaded bag as she pulled out some muggle face wipes and got up out of her seat, making her way towards him. "What's that?", he asked nervously as she knelt down in front of him, pulling a small cloth from the packet.

"They're just cleaning wipes", she told him as she began gently caressing his face with the cloth. Ron looked deep into her beautiful brown eyes as he watched her scanning every inch of his face as she cleaned him up. "There we are", she smiled softly. "Now, get yourself to bed", she told him. Ron did as he was told as he got up out of his seat and began to head towards the stairs before stopping in his tracks.

"Where are _you_ going to sleep?", he asked her. Hermione gave him a confused look. "I can't imagine you'd want to stay in the same room as Harry and Ginny", he grimaced at the thought of his younger sister sharing a bed with his best friend. Hermione chuckled softly as she began cleaning her own face.

"Oh, I'll be fine in here. I have a blanket in my bag", she told him. Ron shook his head as he held out his hand.

"Come with me", he offered nervously. "You won't be comfortable on that bloody old thing", he referred to the common room sofa. Hermione remained still for a moment, as if she was replaying what he had said in her mind. Ron was convinced she was going to turn down his offer when she suddenly took a hold of his hand. The feel of her hand within his own was enough make him feel a little faint. Through all the disaster and heartbreak, he still couldn't quite believe that they had finally worked things out. He began to slowly lead her up the stairs towards the boy's dormitory. Unlike the rest of the school, the dormitory looked completely untouched, as if the elves had just finished tidying up. Parting hands, Hermione made her way towards Harry's bed, placing her bag down on it and turning to face Ron,

"I'm just going to get changed", she said quietly before closing the drapes. Ron gave her a small nod before making his way towards his own bed. He stripped down to his boxer shorts before swapping his dirty striped jumper for a clean Chudley Cannons tee-shirt and getting into bed. Hermione reopened the drapes a short moment later to reveal herself in some flannelled, red-tartan pyjama bottoms and a black vest top. He watched her slowly get into Harry's bed as the pair of them laid on their backs in unison, staring up at the ceiling. But as Ron continued to stare, he could feel his heart beginning to ache as his mind began to take control of his emotions. He heard the screams and the cries of his family, his professors and his classmates. He watched Hermione tremble with fear. He saw his brother's motionless body, laying against the cold, hard floor as he stared at the ghost of his last laugh etched upon his face. Everything that had happened in the last 24 hours had suddenly dawned on him like a nightmare he couldn't escape from. His heart weighed him down like an anchor within his chest and could feel his eyes beginning to well up with tears as his breathing became rapid and sweat began to drip from his forehead when suddenly, Hermione sat on the edge of the bed beside him, hesitantly running her fingers through his hair as she looked at him sadly. "It's alright, Ron", she spoke softly.

"It's not alright", he almost choked on his own sobs. "I'm not the only one who went through it! Why should I be allowed to lay here and feel sorry for myself?", he asked her as he sat up, angry for allowing himself to cry in front of her. Hermione looked at him at a loss for words, her eyes shifting between his as she searched for an answer.

"We've all been through a lot, Ron. It's alright to be angry and it's alright to be sad. And -", she stopped as she placed a caring hand on his knee. "And I'm here for you. No matter what", she forced a weak smile. Before he knew it, Ron had leaned into her, their lips meeting in such a gentle embrace that he could feel every sad or angry emotion leaving his body as he relaxed under her touch. This had been the first time they had kissed since their very first kiss back in the chamber of secrets, and he had decided that he liked _this_ kiss much better. Everything seemed to go in a beautiful slow motion as he moved his mouth softly against hers. His hand getting lost in her larger-than-life locks, whilst the touch of her fingertips on the back of his neck made his heart flutter. They slowly parted lips as their foreheads remained touching, Ron daring to look her in the eyes. He was delighted to find her looking back into his. Without a word, Hermione crawled under his duvet, sitting up at the head of his bed as she got herself comfortable. "Come here", she said. Ron shuffled back a little before allowing himself lean back, placing his head nervously against her chest before she wrapped her arm around him, inviting him into her embrace. The small thudding of her heart sounding in his ear, he relaxed into her as she began to run her fingers softly through his messy red hair. He didn't know the exact moment he had fallen asleep, but it was the best sleep he had ever had. He continued to recall his new favourite memory as he sat staring out of his bedroom window, not even noticing that his mother had given herself permission to enter his room.

"Ron?", she said cautiously, pulling him from his thoughts. He slowly turned to face her as she stood in the doorway gingerly. "I know you want to be left alone, love, but a letter came for you this morning", she said as she placed an envelope on his chest of drawers in the corner. Ron made no attempt at communication as he watched her hand lingering on top of his letter, a painful look on her face as she stared at it. "I know you miss her", she suddenly said. "But we need to heal _together_ ", she sighed sadly, looking up at him as her eyes swam with fresh tears. Ron thought it was impossible for his mother to be able to produce anymore tears but she continued to prove him wrong. She suddenly made her way towards him, running her fingers through his hair before kissing him on the top of his head. "We're all going to be here for you when you're ready", she almost whispered before turning and leaving Ron to his thoughts. He stared at the envelope on top of his chest of drawers before warily getting up and retrieving it. As he sat back down on his bed, the envelope in his hands, he instantly recognised the hand writing. It was Hermione's. And even though he couldn't physically see her or hear her voice, her penmanship before his eyes was enough to settle the ache in his heart. He began to open the letter, gently sliding his finger across the paper before taking out the smooth parchment that was inside and unfolding it on his lap.

 _Ronald,_

 _I hope you're alright. Kingsley and I made it to Australia and we've found my parents. We're still trying to reverse the memory charm at the moment but Kingsley reckons we'll work something out soon. He's honestly a brilliant wizard so there isn't a doubt in my mind that he won't be able to help them. I do miss them terribly though. I've been watching them in their little dental practice for the past two days. I even booked an appointment yesterday just so I could see my dad. It was so strange to be around him and be nothing but a stranger to him. He told me that he and his wife had always wanted to have a daughter and that if they did, they would name her Hermione._

 _I really do hope you're alright, Ron. I haven't stopped thinking about you since I left. It's bizarre to think that merely a year ago I couldn't tell you how I felt, now all I want to do is tell you how much I miss you and how much I think about you. I can't stop thinking about that morning back at Hogwarts when we just laid together. It was the most peaceful I've felt in years. It also keeps me sane whilst I'm out here, knowing that once this is all over, my parents will have their memories back and I'll get to be with you, properly. (Please don't use this against me. I_ _will_ _hex you!). I know you've probably been sat in your room avoiding everyone since I left, and if you have? Stop it! You have wonderful family and friends that want to help you, all you have to do is let them._

 _I'm so sorry that I couldn't be there for Fred's funeral. I hope everything went alright. Well, as alright as it could've gone. Kingsley and I had some wildfire whiz-bangs and set them off in his memory. Please send my love to your family for me, and Harry of course._

 _I should be home soon, and when I am you'll be the first to know. I honestly can't wait._

 _Hermione._

Ron sighed as he scanned through the letter once more, being particularly drawn to her wishes of him not being locked away in his room. He knew she was right. And a little part of him hated that she knew him so well. But, Hermione's letter had changed something within him. His heart felt a little lighter as he stood up and looked at himself in the mirror. His fiery red hair was shaggy and stuck up in all directions, just like Harry's on any normal day, and stubble had begun to form on his chin, something he had never been a big fan of. He licked the palm of his hand before running it across the top of his hair, flattening down the stray strands that stood on end and attempting to make himself look presentable before taking a deep breath and looking himself in the eye. "Stop being a prat!", he told himself angrily. He took a moment to ready himself before heading towards the door and opening it, his eyes adjusting to the landing outside of his room for the first time in a fortnight. He slowly began to make his way downstairs, surprised to find his mother's, normally fussy, kitchen unusually empty and quiet. He scanned the room, hoping to find a friendly face when he spotted Harry sitting on his own in the living room. "Where is everyone?", he asked. A little startled by his sudden presence, Harry jumped in his seat, turning to face Ron.

"Um - hi. Your mum and dad took Ginny to visit George and Bill and Charlie are running the joke shop for a while", Harry told him nervously. Ron gave a small nod of acknowledgment before taking a seat opposite him and sighing as he stared at the floor. "How are you?", Harry asked. Ron sighed once more as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I've been better", he said honestly. "You?", he asked in return.

"I'm alright. It's good to see you though", he told him. Ron forced a weak smile at his best friend as he searched for something, anything, to say.

"Hermione sends her love", he told him.

"That's nice. Did she say when she'll be back?", Harry asked. Ron shook his head.

"They found her parents but they're still figuring out how to reverse the charm", Ron explained. The pair returned to an awkward silence as they both avoided all eye contact.

"I'm sorry, Ron", Harry suddenly said. Ron shot him a confused look as he waited for him to explain further. "None of this would be happening right now if it weren't for me. Hermione wouldn't have to travel across the world to find her parents. Ginny wouldn't be having constant nightmares. Fred would -", he stopped, unable to finish his sentence as he sighed. "I'm sorry".

"Whether you were the Chosen One or not, this still would've happened, Harry. We have to fight for the greater good and for a greater life", Ron told him simply. Harry couldn't help but smirk at his friend's response. "What?", Ron quizzed as he watched Harry looking smugly at him.

"When did you grow up?", he asked.

"Around the same time that I almost got myself killed in a bloody chess game!", Ron joked. The pair of them laughed for a moment before the room returned to its earlier silence. "Hermione's helped me grow up a lot", he admitted shyly. "Funny, isn't it? I went from complaining about what a complete nightmare she is to praising her for being brilliant", he gave a breathy chuckle. Harry smiled brightly at him, an expression Ron felt like he hadn't witnessed for years.

"You two are going to be just fine", he told him. Ron smiled genuinely at Harry as he allowed his words to resound in his head. They _would_ be fine. He believed that more than anything. But the journey would be a long and draining one and he only wished he could use the time turner to send him into the future rather than having to face the difficult times ahead. And although he was scared and confused, the thought of having Hermione by his side suddenly eased his dread.


	2. Wish You Were Here

Today was the day. Hermione and Kingsley had been up all night trying to figure out a way to reverse the spell she had cast upon her parents and they had finally figured it out. She felt a long list of emotions as she waited in a back alley behind her parents' dental practice on that sweltering morning in Australia; excited, anxious, eager. And then, she saw her. She peeked her head around the corner carefully as she watched her mother stroll casually towards the shop door. Her hair just as thick and wild as Hermione's, but a little shorter and a darker shade of brunette, most of her features resembled an older version of Hermione herself. Hermione took a deep breath as she watched her mother searching in her bag for the keys to the door. "I'm sorry, mum", she whispered before stepping out from behind the wall she hid behind. Her eyes met with her mother's for a mere moment before she took out her wand from her back pocket and pointed it at her. "Petrificus totalus", she said quickly. Hermione's mother was stunned to the spot, her body seizing as she fell to the floor, Hermione quick to catch her so she wouldn't hurt herself. Resting her mother's head in her lap, Hermione gave a small, but audible, whistle and was quickly joined by Kingsley.

"Good work, Hermione. We'll put her in the back of the car and then I'll wait for your father", he told her. Hermione nodded as the pair of them lifted her mother off of the ground, carefully carrying her to the car that Kingsley had parked nearby. Hermione waited patiently in the back seat of the car with her mother resting against her shoulder. She couldn't help but well up a little as she wrapped her arm around her mother's shoulders, giving her a slight squeeze. They were soon joined by Kingsley who steadily carried her father with impressive strength and placed him in the back of the car next to her mother before getting in the driver's seat and setting off. They reached their hotel in no time at all and had managed to sneak Hermione's parents up to Kingsley's room without being seen. Kingsley had asked Hermione to wait in her hotel room until he had reversed the charm. The reversal charm was far too advanced for even Hermione to perform and so they had decided that Kingsley would be the one to do it. She sat at the foot of her bed for what felt like an eternity. She could only think about what she would say to them when she saw them again and how they would react. Would they be angry with her? Or would they simply be overjoyed to be reunited? She had no idea. Forty minutes had passed when Kingsley let himself into her room, greeting her with a warm smile. "Your parents would like to see you", he told her. Hermione nodded as she jumped up from the spot she sat in, patting down her clothes and running her fingers through her hair to make sure she looked presentable. She nervously followed Kingsley down the hall towards his room, twiddling her thumbs when he opened the door. Her eyes instantly met the warm smiles of her parents, sitting side by side on the edge of the bed. She couldn't utter a word. She knew she probably should but she found herself glued to the spot, waiting for some sort of sign that they knew who she was.

"Hello, sweetheart", her mother suddenly spoke, softly. Hermione couldn't help herself. Tears began to gush from her eyes as she threw herself between them, sobbing hard as they wrapped their arms around her.

"It's alright, Hermione", her father spoke soothingly as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm so sorry", she sobbed, sitting up so she could wipe her eyes. Her mother smiled warmly at her, her own eyes glossy with tears as she brushed Hermione's hair out of her face, placing the palm of her hand against her cheek.

"We're so proud of you, sweetheart", she told her.

"Proud?", Hermione sniffed. Her parents nodded in unison, grinning brightly.

"You've been so, so brave! Mr Shacklebolt explained everything to us", her father told her.

"So – you're not mad?", she asked.

"Not at all. Although I _do_ wish you would have spoken to us about what was going on – you were only doing what you thought was best. And it was very admirable of you to want to protect us like that", her mother spoke softly.

"Even though _we're_ the ones that are supposed to protect _you_ ", her father interjected, kissing her softly on the cheek. Hermione smiled warmly at her parents, overwhelmed by their praise. She finally felt whole again, a feeling she hadn't even realised she had missed until that particular moment. Kingsley awkwardly cleared his throat in order to get their attention.

"Well, I'm going to wander through the market for a little while and enjoy what I can before we fly back to England tonight. I'm certain I saw a nice little restaurant at the end of the street if the three of you would like to get something to eat and catch up", he smiled warmly at them.

"Thank you, Kingsley", Hermione smiled, genuine gratitude plastered across her face as he gave her a quick nod of acknowledgment before leaving the Grangers to enjoy their reunion. An hour later, Hermione and her parents had checked into the little restaurant Kingsley had recommended and her parents had just finished filling her in on everything they had been doing in Australia. Hermione was grateful for the normal conversation as she listened intently.

"- But, that's enough about us! How have you been, sweetheart?", her mother asked as the conversation quickly turned on her. She really didn't want to talk about herself. She didn't want to recall the terrible memories of the battle, that casualties that had been left behind and the scars that, she was sure, would never heal. But she owed it to them. She had left them in Australia for a year, completely oblivious to the fact that they had an eighteen-year-old daughter who was fighting in a war. She gave a sad sigh as she stared at the glass of water in front of her.

"It's been – difficult", she struggled to find any other words to explain how she had been. She was sure Kingsley must have explained what had happened during the battle and of those that were lost. She also wondered if he had told them of her ordeal at Malfoy Manor. He had found out about it himself just a couple of days ago when he had been informed by the hotel staff of a girl screaming in the middle of the night, the screams coming from one of the rooms he was paying for. He had asked her about it and she had decided to confide in him that she had been having nightmares. Suddenly, she felt her father's hand on top of her own, pulling her from her thoughts as she looked up to see him watching her sadly.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, flower. Mr Shacklebolt told us quite a bit", he told her. 'How much had he told them exactly?', she couldn't help but wonder. The family sat in a comfortable silence when a waitress served them their meals and offered them refills for their drinks.

"So, how's Harry?", her mother asked as she began to cut up her food.

"He's alright. I hope", she told her as she cut up her own food, bringing a fork full of steak to her mouth.

"I bet he's feeling much better now that that dreadful man has been dealt with", her mother continued. Hermione nodded as she chewed and swallowed her food.

"Yes, I imagine so. Although I suspect he feels quite guilty as well. He's got a habit of that", she said sadly as she returned to her food. Her parents nodded in acknowledgment.

"And Ronald?", her mother asked further. Hermione blushed at the mention of his name. She hadn't thought this through at all. Would this be an appropriate time to tell them of her blossoming romance with Ron? Harry and Ron were the only boys she had _ever_ spoken to her parents about, and she had never had to experience talking to them about romance.

"Are you alright, love? You look a little red", her father suddenly asked. She nodded quickly, taking a sip of her water.

"He's fine. Well, as fine as he can be, given the circumstances", she answered her mother's question. Her parents shared a curious look before looking back at their suddenly sheepish daughter.

"The poor boy. We must send Molly our condolences once we get home", her mother said sadly.

"I'm sure she would really appreciate that", Hermione replied as she began to finish her meal.

"Are you sure you're alright, Hermione?", her father asked once again. They knew there was something she wasn't telling them. She knew she would have to tell them of her new relationship, her father would only ponder further if she didn't. He had a bad habit of being unable to leave things alone. She sighed softly, taking one last bite of her steak before placing her knife and fork neatly on her empty plate.

"Well, during the battle, Ron and I -", she stopped, struggling to find the words to go on. "You see, we – our friendship has become more of a – a relationship", she attempted to explain nervously. She had never felt more stupid in her life. Her parents shared another quick glance and she could've sworn she saw her mother smirk a little.

"Oh, I see", her mother responded. "And, this relationship – is it of a romantic nature?", she quizzed. Hermione dared to nod as she looked down at her empty plate. "Well, it's about time if you ask me", her mother suddenly said. Hermione's eyes darted across the table. _It's about time_? She looked at her mother, completely perplexed by her statement when she suddenly started to chuckle. "You've been pining after that boy for years, sweetheart! Anyone could see it was only a matter of time", she told her.

"Well – I wouldn't exactly have called it _pining_ ", Hermione pouted as she defended herself.

"Your father used to get on my last nerve!", she told her.

"Oi!", her father intervened before her mother gave him a cheeky wink.

"I used to complain to your grandmother about him all the time. She was absolutely sick of hearing about him! And, well, look at us now", she said, placing her hand on top of her husband's on the table. Hermione smiled warmly at the tender moment her parents shared. A few moments later, Hermione had reluctantly left her parents so that they could make arrangements regarding their dental practice whilst she returned to the hotel, surprised to find an envelope with a small note on her bed.

' _This came for you whilst you were out – Kingsley_ ', the note read. Hermione quickly turned her attention to the letter that lay beneath the note, eager to find out who had written to her as she sat on her bed, carefully sliding her finger under the envelopes seal until it was open.

 _Hermione,_

 _I'm really glad that you've found your parents and that you got there safely, and Kingsley too! Still wish you had let me come with you when I offered… But, you were right; I am needed here. As much as I don't really want to be here. Everyone's trying to be brave and put on a happy face but it just feels different. It feels fake. Mum potters around the kitchen for most of the day with a smile that could easily compete with the bloody sun it's that bright! But, I've heard her crying at night, and I've seen her sitting out in the orchard on her own. You're the only real thing I have in my life at the moment. I miss you, a lot. (Don't go using that against me either or I'll hex you right back. Or, I'll try to at least)._

 _I wish I could lie to you and tell you that I'm okay, but, I'm not, not really. I miss him a lot. I can't even stand to look at George anymore. It just hurts too much. Not just because of the obvious but, he's just not the same anymore. Not to mention I miss you. I just wish you were here really. But I know you have to do what you have to do and I'm proud of you. You're so brilliant. You even know me better than I know myself because… I did lock myself away, for a little bit. Your letter gave me a good kick up the arse though and I've been spending time with Harry (when he's not busy sticking his tongue down my little sister's throat. Disgusting!) and helping dad degnome the garden._

 _As much as I would have loved to have had you there, I'm glad you weren't. At Fred's funeral, I mean. I was a mess. I never want you to have to see me like that. Not when you're so brave and strong. Everyone sends their love and they can't wait to see you again._

 _I can't wait until I get the letter telling me you're coming home. I've written it too many times already but, I miss you so much._

 _See you soon,_

 _Ron._

Hermione sighed contently at the letter, allowing a few stray tears to escape as she thought about how much she missed him in return. She would give anything to have him laid back in her arms, just like he had on that cold morning at Hogwarts not that long ago. She wanted, more than anything, to fix him, letting him fix her in return.


	3. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

**Hey guys! I hope you're enjoying my fic so far! Just a quick AN to say that as the chapters go on I'll explore the lives of more characters following the battle, which is going to be a challenge because I'm so used to writing about Romione and only Romione, but I love a challenge and I can't wait to hear what you guys think! For now, here is the first chapter I have ever written solely about this particular character, I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

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She shot up like a stiff plank of wood in bed. Her eyes shifting rapidly around the dark room, her wand held tightly in her hand as she caught her breath. Sweat poured from her forehead as she suddenly realised she had been dreaming again. She wasn't at Hogwarts and she wasn't fighting for her life. She was at home, safely tucked in bed. It wasn't until she spotted the soft light from the landing, just underneath her door, turn on that she realised she had been screaming again. Her bedroom door swung open as her father hurried in, wearing his old blue dressing gown and his wand pointed out in front of him as he looked around the room.

"It's alright, dad. It was – it was just another nightmare", she told him, feeling a little ashamed at the admission. Her father sighed sadly, putting his wand in the pocket of his robes before taking a seat at the foot of her bed.

"You know it's alright, Ginny?", he said suddenly. Ginny gave him a confused look before he ran his fingers through his thin fading red hair. "To be afraid, I mean. You've been through a lot this year. We all have", he sighed once more. Ginny brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she rested her head on top of them.

"Other people have been through worse", she mumbled. Arthur suddenly reached out, running his fingers through her long fiery locks and pushing them behind her ear.

"That doesn't make your feelings any less significant", he told her confidently. "You went through a terrible time at school. You were worrying about Harry for most of the year. And Fred -", he stopped, unable to continue. "Nobody would judge you for feeling a little on edge, sweetheart. Worse or not, we've _all_ had a lot to deal with. And I just want you to know that – that it's okay", he smiled warmly at her as she dared to look up at him, her hazel eyes misty from the tears she refused to let fall. She gave him a slight nod, forcing the best smile she could.

"Thanks, dad", she spoke softly. Arthur stood up from the foot of her bed, running the palm of his hand softly across the top of her head before kissing her forehead ever so gently.

"Get some sleep. You know where we are if you need us", he told her, heading towards the door and closing it quietly behind him. Ginny sighed as she straightened her legs, muttering 'lumos' before placing her wand back on her bedside table as she looked around her room. Her eyes met with, what used to be, her favourite picture hung on the wall opposite her. She was seven in the photo, and her smile was the brightest she had ever seen it as Fred rubbed his knuckles on top of her head, messing up her hair, and George pulled a silly face, his fingers stretching both corners of his mouth as he stuck his tongue out. Her heart ached as she watched Fred laughing as he tormented her. She never thought she would miss his nuggies, but what she wouldn't give for him to be able to give her one now. She was angry with herself, and ashamed. Who gave her the right to be such a scaredy-cat and a cry-baby when she was still here; living and breathing and Fred wasn't? It had been the worst year of her life, but at least she wasn't dead. She laid back down in her bed, whispering 'nox' as her room descended back into darkness. She laid motionless on her back, twiddling her thumbs awkwardly as she stared up at the ceiling. She wondered if he'd be awake. There were two more bedrooms and a bathroom between that ceiling and where he was, and she only wished that she could see right up there. She couldn't disturb him again. But, then, he did say he didn't mind. She threw back her duvet, swinging her legs over the bed so that her bare feet came into contact with the floor. For the seventh night in a row, she was going to sleep beside Harry. It was the only way she could feel relaxed anymore. He wouldn't ask questions, he wouldn't make her talk about her feelings and the nightmares and what had happened, and that's all she craved. She opened her bedroom door, as quietly as possible, before making her way up the stairs, careful not to wake her parents or Charlie who was sleeping in Percy's old room. On reaching Ron's bedroom door, she took a deep breath, running her fingers through her hair and patting down the fabric of her nightgown before opening the door. She was met with Ron's droning snore, which was quite impressive, she thought. Ron had been a mess recently, but the fact that he was still able to sleep so soundly amazed her. But, then she remembered how Harry had told her he had been staying awake until the early hours of the morning before passing out from exhaustion. She wondered if he had nightmares too. As she quietly passed her sleeping brother, she was happy to see a dim light under Harry's duvet, which was pitched up like a tent. She smiled warmly before giving herself permission to enter his homemade den.

"What are you doing up?", she whispered nonchalantly. Harry sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed with a Quibbler in his lap as he looked up at her.

"I heard you earlier", he replied sadly. "Was expecting you", he smiled warmly. His smile made her heart flutter as she got comfortable under the duvet. Even though she knew full well that he was going through a hard time too, she gained some sort of normality from him that she had never expected. And she wondered if it was intentional. If it was, she was grateful. She had always looked up to Fred and George and they had always taught her how to be brave. She wasn't about to forget all of that now. She was grateful to Harry, for giving her the normalcy she craved so badly, even though she was sure he was screaming on the inside. But she would never pressure him into talking about his feelings. She knew he would come to her if he needed to. Harry suddenly closed the Quibbler in his lap, placing it under his pillow before taking his wand and whispering 'nox'. As the room turned to a calm darkness, he took down his makeshift tent, the duvet returning to its regular state as he shuffled up to his normal sleeping spot, inviting Ginny to lay beside him. Ginny got herself comfortable as she curled up into a foetal position, her back against his stomach as they came together like two perfect pieces in a puzzle. Harry wrapped his arm gently around her waist, his nose buried deep in her hair as he sighed contently. They had never confirmed to one another that they were dating once again, but Ginny felt like they didn't need to. They weren't exactly sneaking off for a quick snog like Ron had so often assumed or doing things that normal couples would do, but they were back together, and as long as she knew that in her heart it was more than enough. She didn't need him to confirm what they were. She entwined her fingers through his as she sighed contently herself, finally beginning to feel tired as she drifted in and out of consciousness. "Ginny, I -", Harry began to speak.

"Don't say it", she cut him off, her eyes shut softly. "Whatever it is - you don't need to say it", she told him. There were two possible statements he could've been about to make, she thought to herself. He was either going to tell her he loved her, or he was going to apologise for what felt like the thousandth time. She didn't need to hear him say either. She didn't need him to be sorry, none of this was his fault. Her family would have fought whether they saw him as one of their own or not. And she didn't need him to tell her that he loved her. Why confirm what she already knew in her heart? What she already saw in him every day; the way he would watch her so intently over the dining room table, as if she would be under threat at any moment. The way he would follow her everywhere she went, and if he were to go anywhere? He would pass the duty onto Bill. The way he would hold her like this. So silently and so full of affection. She didn't need him to say anything at all. His actions spoke much louder than any words ever did.

The time was 6:05am when she awoke. The same time she had awoken every morning for the past week, so that her parents or Ron wouldn't find her sleeping in Harry's bed. This was the part she hated most. She sat up on the edge of the bed, looking back at him as she smiled warmly to see his glasses still upon his sleeping face. She carefully took them off for him, placing them on the small table that separated his bed from Ron's. Running her fingers softly through his messy jet black hair, she admired his slumbering features as she found the will within her to leave. She made her way silently back to her bedroom, careful once again not wake anyone else. But upon reaching her bedroom door, she decided that she didn't want to go back to sleep. She hated being in that room these days. Nothing significant had taken place in that particular room, but the thought of being alone in there unearthed something within her that she wasn't too fond of. She hated this overwhelming feeling of neediness. Something she hadn't felt since she was a small child, who needed and craved her parents undivided attention. Her stomach began to rumble as she made her way downstairs and into the kitchen, making herself a bacon sandwich before making her way into the living room, surprised to find George sitting alone.

"Merlin's pants! You gave me a fright!", she jumped. George smiled warmly at her as she took a seat in her father's favourite armchair.

"What are you doing up so early?", he asked. Ginny only shrugged her shoulders as she took a bite of her sandwich. "Slept in Harry's bed again?", he suddenly assumed. Ginny's eyes widened at his suggestion as she swallowed her food sheepishly. George gave a breathy laugh before sitting forward in his seat. "You might have everyone else fooled, but not me", he smirked. "Been here the past three mornings and heard you sneaking back into your room". Ginny felt embarrassment like she had never felt before as she pushed her hair back behind her ears, placing her bacon sandwich down on the small table in front of her as her cheeks flushed almost as red as her hair. "Me and Fred always -", George suddenly stopped midsentence, the ache in his heart as plain as the freckles on his face. This is how George was now. Fred was nothing but a ghost. A mere past-tense in conversation. A distant memory that George couldn't help but remember. How must it feel? She thought. To have shared your whole life with someone and to one day suddenly have to spend the rest of your days without them.

"I miss him too", she suddenly said. She wanted to take back the words as soon as she had spoken them. How stupid she felt. Of course she missed him. But no matter how much she missed him, it would never compare to what George must be feeling. George sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he leaned back in his seat. "I'm sorry", she apologised, bringing her knees up to her chest as she looked down at the floor.

"What are you sorry for?", George raised his eyebrow suspiciously. Ginny shrugged her shoulders.

"All of it, I suppose. I'm just – I'm sorry", she said sadly. She could feel those tears again, burning in her eyelids as she forced them back with every ounce of energy she could muster.

"I'm sorry too", George suddenly said. Ginny looked up at him, confused by his apology. "I haven't been the best big brother in the world recently, have I?", he told her. Ginny remained silent, encouraging him to explain further. "Fred is – _was_ my other half. I'm not going to sugar coat that. It hurts like hell! But you're still here. And Ron and Bill and Charlie. And Percy! I'm not the only one who lost him. And – and I need you all, as much as you need me", he sighed. Ginny was overwhelmed by his admission, knowing how hard it was for George to open up like this. She felt honoured that he had chosen her to talk to. And suddenly, without a warning, the tears that she had held back like prisoners for months had begun to stream down her cheeks as she sobbed violently. Her face buried in her knees when she suddenly felt an arm wrap around her shoulders. "It's alright, Ginny", George spoke softly.

"It's _not_ alright!", she suddenly roared as she escaped from his embrace. "I wish people would stop telling me it's alright when it fucking isn't!", she told him, George sat back in shock as Ginny flew into a violent rant, standing up from her seat and pacing around the room. "It's not alright for me to cry. It's – it's selfish is what it is! I'm here and I'm _alive_! And – and you and Fred – you always taught me how to be brave and strong when it mattered and I can't even do that! None of this is alright", she yelled at him, her breathing staggered as she wiped away her tears angrily, leaving red marks underneath her sunken eyes. George stood up from the arm of the chair where he sat, walking until he stood directly in front of her, placing a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Ginny. If you need to cry? Then you fucking cry!", he told her. Ginny looked up at him, surprised by his suddenly raised voice as she saw small tears beginning to form in his deep brown eyes. "All that bullshit me and Fred ever told you about being brave? Forget it! Because if there's one thing I've learnt from all of this, it's that if you don't cry you'll end up a bloody mess!", he continued. Ginny's eyes glued to his as she listened to his words intently. "I didn't want to cry either. I thought Fred would take the absolute piss out of me if he were here and caught me crying like a little girl, but you know what? If he could see that angry, emotionless arsehole I was, he'd slap me and tell me to get a grip and he'd tell me that it's alright", he sighed softly. "It _is_ alright, Ginny. You lost a lot too. So if you need to cry, or shout, or sleep in Harry's bed, do it! Whatever it takes for you to feel better. I don't want you to ever feel like you're being selfish for being sad. I know Fred wouldn't want you to either", his voice broke a little at mentioning his brother's name. Ginny's violent sobs returned as George forced her into his embrace, her tears quickly soaking his old blue tee-shirt as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. After a moment that felt like an eternity, Ginny suddenly found herself being transitioned into the arms of someone else as she continued to sob, her whole body shuddering with grief. The smell of the tee-shirt Harry had slept in comforted her in a way nothing else could as she felt his arms wrap around her firmly, allowing herself to wrap her arms around his waist, grabbing fistfuls of his tee-shirt as if he would slip away at any moment. She lost herself in his embrace, fearing her tears would never stop.


	4. Learning To Walk Again

George sat alone in the bedroom he had once shared with Fred. An anchor in his heart weighed him down to the spot as he looked around the room helplessly, reminiscing all the memories they had shared. In the corner was a pile of brightly coloured rubbish, empty firework tubes and poorly designed sweet wrappers, failed inventions that they had made over the years. On Fred's bed was his old Cleansweep Five and Quidditch uniform. His heart ached at the sudden realisation that he would never see his brother riding his broom again. They would never soar through the air together, laughing at the people below as they batted a quaffle to one another, just to pass the time. Mum had been the one to lay out his old Quidditch uniform, she thought Fred would like to be buried with it, as well as his reliable old broom. George agreed, although he couldn't help but want to keep them close. He had the exact same uniform and broom himself but, it wasn't the same. They weren't Fred's. His uniform was ruined and smelt of smoke from the time he and Fred had attempted to make fireworks shoot out of the end of his broom, the plan backfiring spectacularly as George nearly ended up setting himself on fire. "Don't worry, Georgie! We'll keep trying! They'll fly off the shelf when we make them wizard-friendly", Fred had told him confidently. But they would never try again. If only George had known. If he had known he would never have left unfinished inventions to complete another day, he never would have told himself 'there's always tomorrow', he never would've taken Fred for granted. He kicked himself for not being with Fred in his final moments, for not being the last person he saw or spoke to. But, for now, all he wanted was some sort of closure. His parents had expected him to be a blubbering mess, but that's not how he was going to deal with this. He could only imagine the good kicking Fred would give him if he caught him crying. Enough was enough. He could no longer sit in that room, allowing every inanimate object he saw to break his heart all over again. He reluctantly stood up from where he sat in the middle of his bed, taking one last look around before heading downstairs. His parents began to fuss over him, as usual. A feeling he never particularly enjoyed. They had never paid this much attention to him before, what was the point in starting now? Ignoring their endless questions, consisting of 'how are yous' and 'are you hungrys', he strolled into the living room quite casually, sitting down on their old, patch-work sofa as he allowed it to hold him in a way he was unwilling to let anyone else.

"Oh Percy, love", he suddenly heard his mother. Percy. George was no idiot. He had avoided the Burrow like the plague since the battle. He shot up from his seat, as if he were as light as a feather, before rushing into kitchen where he found his mother, reaching up to Percy's height with her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders.

"You", George said accusingly, pointing at Percy as he neared closer. Molly took a cautious step back, watching George carefully as he stood directly in front of his older brother. "You were the last person to see him", he declared. Percy's eyes shifted between George and his mother, his normal confident disposition trembling with nerves as George continued. "Did – did he say anything? Was he scared?", George quizzed, his voice breaking a little as he pleaded Percy to answer with his eyes. Percy silently removed his horn-rimmed glasses from his face, carefully cleaning them with the hem of his shirt as he sighed.

"No. No, he wasn't scared", he told him quietly. George's cheeks began to flush red with anger.

"Then what happened, Percy! I wanna know everything; his last words, his last emotion, bloody hell, I'll even take a description of his last fart if you've got it!", he yelled.

"George -", his mother sobbed a little, unable to finish her protest.

"I want to know!", his voice roared, raw emotion bubbling inside of him like a particularly vile potion that had been brewing in a cauldron.

"I – I – George, I think you should sit down", Percy suggested calmly, attempting to place a caring hand on his brother's shoulder before being violently shrugged off.

"I don't want to fucking sit down! I want you to tell me what you know!", he roared once more. But as much as he wanted his answers, George could feel the tears burning in his eyes, threatening to fall at any moment. No way was he going to give them what they wanted. He was not going to become the wailing mess that his mother had become over the past few days. Without another word, George stormed out of the front door and ran into the orchard. He wasn't sure why he was running, or what he was running from, but he ran, and he kept running until he reached the pond, with his hands pressed against his knees, hunched over in exhaustion. George roared in anguish as his body shuddered with grief, the weight of the world on his shoulders as he collapsed onto his knees, digging his fingers deep into the soil in front of him. George sat out in the orchard for a while, skimming stones across the pond as he silently admired the calm of the water and the wildlife that surrounded him. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching behind him and he could only hope that it wasn't his mother. How awful he felt. She had just lost her son and there he was, ranting and raving like Percy had been the one that had caused all of this. She didn't deserve to see that. She didn't deserve anymore pain or grief. George was surprised to see Percy, sitting down on the grass beside him as he crossed his legs neatly, looking out at the pond himself as George tossed one more stone.

"He was laughing", he suddenly spoke. George shot him a confused look.

"What?", he quizzed.

"Before – before he died. He was laughing. Fred", Percy explained further.

" _Laughing_? Laughing at what?", George continued to ask questions, bringing his knees up to his chest as he rested his elbows on top of them.

"I had told a joke, believe it or not", Percy smiled slightly, recalling the memory of his younger brother's final moments.

" _You_ told a _joke_? In the middle of a _battle_? Bloody hell, Percy, you do pick your moments", he chuckled softly, looking back out at the pond.

"I'm sorry, George. About everything, really", Percy said nervously. George sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah. Me too", he replied…

George sighed as he recalled the, somewhat, distant memory watching Harry hold his baby sister in his arms as she sobbed. But, she wasn't a baby anymore. She was a young woman, and George couldn't protect her from this. Nobody could. And he was no longer the one that could fix her when she cried. That was Harry's job now. Seeing Ginny cry was a strange phenomenon, George had only ever seen her cry three times in her entire life, including this particular moment. The first time she had been a baby, and he had guessed that she was probably hungry, but her small cries of hunger soon turned into a hearty chuckle as he and Fred began to pull funny faces at her as she laid wriggling around in her crib. The second time had been when he and Fred were about to go to Hogwarts for the very first time. She had always been so attached to them as a child, she almost made them triplets the three were that inseparable. She stood in the kitchen, far past her bedtime, wearing a small pink nightgown, her favourite teddy held tightly in one hand as she rubbed her eyes with the other.

"I don't want you to go. I want to come too", she sobbed. George honestly didn't know what to tell his nine-year old sister when Fred suddenly knelt down in front of her and began wiping away her tears with the sleeve of his jumper.

"We'll be back before you know it, Ginny. And we'll write to you every week", he told her, smiling warmly. Ginny sniffed, her bottom lip lowered as she looked at him with sad eyes.

"You promise?", she asked. Fred and George nodded in unison.

"Have me and George ever broken a promise to you?", Fred asked. Ginny shook her head. "Well, there you go then. Now, you better go to bed before mum and dad come back", he grinned at her. Ginny threw her arms around Fred's shoulders, hugging him tight before making her way over to George, snaking her arms gently around his waist as she rested her head against his chest before heading towards the stairs and going back up to her room. That little girl had grown into a fierce, independent, young woman, and George couldn't be prouder as he watched Harry looking deep into her eyes, wiping away her tears like Fred had once done. He sighed as he wandered into the kitchen, Percy letting himself in through the front door as George but the kettle on the stove.

"Just in time for tea", he smiled warmly at his brother as Percy placed his briefcase on the kitchen counter, handing an envelope to George.

"Give this to Ron, will you? Errol almost dropped it in the swamp", he shook his head as he thought about the senseless bird. George examined the envelope as the kettle began to whistle.

"Looks like it's from Hermione. He'll be happy then", he smirked as he put the letter down on the counter, returning to make two cups of tea. Harry and Ginny suddenly emerged from the living room, Ginny gave Percy a weak smile before allowing Harry to lead her up the stairs.

"Is she alright?", Percy asked. George shook his head as he placed a mug of hot tea in front of him.

"Are any of us really?", he questioned. Percy sighed as he took off his glasses, placing him on the counter so he could drink his tea without steaming them up.

"No. I suppose not", he replied. "Are you not opening the shop today?", he asked, taking a sip of his tea. George shook his head as he took a sip of his own. Business had been quiet since Fred's passing. He didn't know whether it was because people weren't in the mood to laugh, or simply because they just didn't know how to approach him. On the days that he did open the shop, the only company he would have was the company of Angelina Johnson, who claimed that she didn't want him to have to run the shop alone, but deep down, he knew that she just wanted to feel close to Fred somehow. The pair hadn't been an item for quite some time before his death, but he could tell that she still held a soft spot for him. Of course she did. Fred was always the charming one.

"Business will pick up soon, George. I'm sure of it", Percy smiled warmly, George completely oblivious to the fact that his brother had been watching him lost in thought. George nodded his head in acknowledgment as he continued to drink his tea. "We, um – the Ministry managed to track down Dolohov", he suddenly said. George looked up at him, listening intently as he waited for him to continue. "Mr Shacklebolt sentenced him to life in Azkaban. He admitted to committing several murders – including Remus", he said nervously. George looked at him with sad eyes at this new information. Information that he was sure his family, and Harry, had already known, but now it had been confirmed.

"Are – are you going to tell Harry?", George asked. Percy shook his head as he straightened his collar.

"I'm going to speak to mother. I think it'd be for the best if she were the one to tell him", he sighed.

"Let me do it", George suddenly offered. Percy's eyes widened at George's suggestion. "The poor lads gone through enough, he doesn't need mum crying at him with more bad news", he explained. "And besides; he hasn't spoken to me at all since -", he stopped, unable to finish his sentence. "I just want him to know that I'm not mad. Please, Perc", he pleaded. Percy took a moment before nodding.

"Alright. But make sure you tell him today. There's going to be an article about it in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. Best he finds out before then", Percy advised him. George nodded in agreeance, feeling a little nervous about the conversation he would later have to have.


	5. Long Way To Happy

Harry sat beside her as she slept. Her eyes a little swollen from the all of the crying she had done. He was happy that she had let it all out, but at the same time, it killed him to see her like this. The same burning ache that he felt in his scar was now in his heart as he watched her, utterly exhausted from letting go of all of her pent-up sorrow and anger. He sighed sadly as he ran his fingers through her long soft hair.

"I'm sorry, Ginny", he said quietly. All of a sudden, he heard a small tap on Ginny's bedroom window. Immediately drawing his wand from his pocket, Harry shot up from his spot on her bed, warily making his way towards the window only to be relieved to see that it was George, beckoning him to come outside. But Harry's relief soon turned to nerves as he wondered what he could possibly want. A million and one possibilities ran through his mind as he left his sleeping beau and began to make his way downstairs. Maybe George finally wanted to have it out with him. Tell him how this was all his fault and how much he hated him. Merlin knows that's how Harry felt. He had done his best to avoid George at all costs, unsure of what to say or do in his presence. George hadn't gone out of his way to speak to Harry either, an occurrence he had expected and tried to accept. He had heard his bellowing voice yelling at Percy a few weeks before, he knew he was looking for someone to blame. And although he seemed to be making some sort of progress emotionally, he knew it was only a matter of time before he placed the blame on Harry and _only_ Harry, and rightfully so, he thought. "Listen out for Ginny, will you?", he asked Percy as he passed him on his way out. Percy nodded as Harry headed out of the front door. He felt awful having to ask her own brothers to watch out for her in his absence as if it was something they weren't going to do anyway, but he just liked to make sure. If it was up to him, he would have her by his side day and night no matter what, just to make sure that she was safe and alright. George leaned beside a big oak tree, slanting his back with his arms crossed as he waited for Harry to approach him. He could feel his heart in his throat, sweat pouring from his forehead as he neared ever closer. "Hullo", Harry spoke nervously. "Everything alright?". George straightened himself up, ruffling his own hair as he sighed.

"Come and take a walk with me, Harry", he suggested. Harry gave a quick nod before following George towards the orchard. Oh Merlin. Was he going to hex him? Was he going to drown him in the pond or make him eat the algae that grew in the swamp? All thoughts terrified him, but whatever it was, he felt like he probably deserved it. If it weren't for him, George would still be whole and not one half of a broken puzzle piece. "Don't look so worried, Harry", he suddenly told him, pulling him from his thoughts. Harry shot him a confused look. Why else would George have summoned him out here? George sighed once more, scratching the back of his neck as he looked at Harry sadly. "Listen; I know you think this is all your fault, but – just stop it, alright? It's not", he told him. Harry had never felt his heart beating so fast as it thumped rapidly against his rib cage. It w _asn't_ his fault? Harry remained in silent perplexity as he searched for the right words to say in response. "Fred wouldn't have blamed you and neither do I", George continued. "I – I know I haven't really spoken to you much. Truth is; I don't really want to talk to _anyone_. And I'm sorry if that made you feel like I was blaming you". Harry's eyes widened at the sudden apology. _He_ was sorry? Had George fell and bumped his head or did he really just apologise to the boy who was at the very root of his misery?

"Don't be sorry", Harry told him. "You've got nothing to be sorry for. I'm just sorry that there's a massive hole in your family and that's all down to me", he sighed.

"For fucks sake, Harry, _shut up_!", George suddenly raised his voice. Harry took a step back in astonishment. "If any of us blamed you, for even a second, do you think you'd still be under our bloody roof? You've got to stop punishing yourself, mate. You're not doing yourself any favours", he told him sincerely. He was right. Harry knew he was. But the guilt was still there, like a thorn in his side. Maybe this wasn't all his fault and maybe he should try and move on with the rest of the Weasleys, but for now, the guilt was there and it wasn't going anywhere any time soon, and he would eventually have to learn to slowly let it go over time. Now was not that time. But he would cover it up the best he could, for the family he had broken but still cared for him as one of their own. Harry nodded slowly in acknowledgment of George's advice as he watched him running his fingers through his thick red hair. "I actually brought you out here to tell you something", he told him. Harry listened intently as he waited for George to continue. "Dolohov was caught and sent to Azkaban this morning. He – he was charged with Lupin's murder", he told him nervously. Harry's heart dropped in his chest. He thought he should've felt a little more relieved at the news, at the fact that they had finally gotten justice for his parents' dear friend, but there was no justice in this. Sending a man to Azkaban was not going to change things, it would not give Teddy Lupin a father and it would not bring Remus back from the dead. "Do you need a minute?", George suddenly asked. Harry shook his head silently as he stared out across the pond.

"Did – did he admit it?", he asked. George nodded sadly. Harry pinched the skin between his eyebrows, his eyes shut tightly as he pictured Dolohov confessing to destroying the one thing he had left of his parents and the life they had lived. That bastard, he thought. His heart suddenly felt a little lighter at the thought of Dolohov locked up in Azkaban, surrounded by more dementors than Harry could even count.

"Listen – I've got some stuff I need to do, but I just wanted to be the one to tell you", George pulled him from his thoughts. Harry gave him a small nod of acknowledgment before George began to make his way back to the Burrow. As Harry watched him leave, he noticed Percy waving in the doorway. He took a deep breath before heading back to the house himself, only hoping that he wasn't about to be hit with more news.

"Harry, I've just received word from the Minister that he would like to have a meeting with you tomorrow afternoon", Percy told him as he stepped aside to let him in and began to follow him into the living room.

"A meeting with _me_? What for?", Harry asked.

"I didn't want to pry. But, it did seem rather important", Percy told him. Harry gave a small nod.

"Wait – _tomorrow_? Does that mean Hermione's back?", he asked.

"Not just yet. The Minister informed me that their flight will be landing at 10pm tonight", Percy explained.

"Does Ron know?", Harry quizzed further. Percy nodded.

"He received a letter from Hermione this morning. I'm sure she will have mentioned it", he smiled warmly. Harry smiled warmly in return, running his fingers through his messy hair. "Well, I better be going. I'll see you later, Harry", Percy said as he gathered his things together and picked up his briefcase before heading towards the door. Harry began to make his way upstairs, checking in on Ginny, who was still sleeping, before continuing up to Ron's room. Ron sat on the floor at the foot of his bed looking troubled. He always looked troubled these days, Harry thought.

"Everything alright, Ron?", he dared to ask. Ron shook his head before, without looking at him, holding out his arm and handing him a piece of parchment. Harry realised it was Ron's letter from Hermione as he began to read.

 _Ron,_

 _Fantastic news! The reversal charm worked and my parents' memories have been restored! I can't even begin to describe how happy I am. Kingsley really is a brilliant wizard. We went for lunch earlier today to catch up and we'll be making our way to the airport in a couple of hours so I should be home tomorrow evening. I can't wait._

 _I hope you're alright and that you're keeping well. I feel terrible for not being able to be there with you but, thankfully, we won't have much longer to wait!_

 _There was one more thing; our relationship came up in conversation whilst I was having dinner with my parents and they would like to invite you over for dinner once they've settled in. I hope that's alright! Please don't be nervous. I've never really had a boyfriend you see and they're just very excited for us and would like to get to know you better._

 _See you soon,_

 _Hermione._

"Wow", Harry said as he folded the letter and placed it on Ron's chest of drawers.

"You've got that right!", Ron replied.

"You'll be alright, Ron", Harry attempted to reassure him. Ron suddenly shot up from his spot on the floor, facing Harry.

"No I bloody won't! Did you even read it? She wants me to meet her _parents_!", he panicked.

"But, Ron – haven't you met them before?", Harry quizzed.

"Well, yeah – once – at Flourish and Blotts in second year, but – mum did most of the talking. This is different, Harry! She even called me her _boyfriend_!", he said as he grabbed the letter from the chest of drawers and unfolded it before Harry's eyes, pointing at it repeatedly. "Look! See? _Boyfriend_!", he continued, his voice rising higher in pitch. Harry couldn't help but feel amused by the situation. This had been the most Ron-like Ron had been in weeks.

"Listen – just relax. It's going to be fine. Just – just don't overthink anything and be yourself", Harry advised him. Ron scoffed at the suggestion.

"Yeah, because that'll bloody work!", he replied sarcastically. "They'll take one look at me and decide I'm a fucking moron, mate", he sighed.

"You're not a moron. And even if you were; Hermione obviously doesn't think that. Isn't _that_ the important thing?", Harry replied. Ron sighed once more.

"'Spose you're right", he said.

"I'm always right", Harry said smugly.

"Don't push it, mate", Ron joked. Harry suddenly felt that light feeling in his heart that he had felt just moments before. He had missed this. He had missed his best friend. The boys sat and talked for a while, something they hadn't done for what felt like years. Ron had opened up about these new feelings he had developed for Hermione, although Harry was sure they had been there for years, and how strange, yet, weirdly wonderful they were, whilst Harry told him the news of Dolohov's arrest. Their conversation had taken a sad turn as Harry confessed that he didn't think of Dolohov's imprisonment as good news. "At least he won't be able to hurt anyone else now", Ron told him. Harry knew he was right, but he still saw no justice in this at all. But then, he told himself this was just another situation he would have to learn to let go over time. Harry sighed as he laid back on Ron's bed. "So – um – how's Ginny?", Ron suddenly asked. Harry could tell by the tone of his voice that he felt a little guilty about not knowing how his own sister was. Ron had hidden himself away in his room for so long that he had only seen Ginny three times in the last three weeks. But, Harry didn't blame him. The Weasleys were coping with their grief each in their own and unique way.

"She's been better", Harry sighed as he told him honestly, sitting up on the bed. Ron rubbed the back of his neck as he looked sadly at the floor.

"I've been a pretty shit brother, haven't I?", he said.

"No. No, you haven't", Harry told him. "You're all going through a lot right now, mate. No one expects you to drop your own feelings to look after someone else", he continued.

"But, I'm supposed to be there for her and – and make her feel better, aren't I? I mean, isn't that what brothers are _supposed_ to do?", Ron asked.

"Well, yeah, I guess. But, in different circumstances", he told him. Ron sighed as he nodded, running his long thin fingers through his hair. There was a moment of silence before Ron stood up from his seat, giving an exaggerated stretch as he smiled warmly at Harry.

"'Spose I should get a shower then, seeing as Hermione's coming home", he said happily as he headed for his bedroom door. No sooner than he had disappeared, Ron poked his head back through the open gap in his bedroom door. "Do you think she'll come here once she gets back?", he asked.

"Who knows", Harry chuckled.

"Should shower just in case", Ron said before disappearing once again. Harry smiled to himself, chuckling a little as he laid back on the bed once more. If Ron could recover from this, so could he.


	6. Home

**A/N: Hey guys! Just wanted to quickly apologise for not having updated in so long! Got my exams coming up in university so it's been really busy for me lately! I will try and update as much as I possible can but please bear with me :)**

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Hermione felt nervous as she followed her parents up their garden path. She hadn't been home in over a year. _Home_. She felt a little strange referring to this house as her home. It hadn't been her home for a very long time. And although she hadn't had any sort of home in the last year, other than the tent she shared with Harry and Ron, the only place she truly felt at home was at the Burrow. It wasn't because it was where Ron lived, of course, where ever he was felt like home to her anyway, but it was because of its overall atmosphere. The way the warmth and the smell in every room welcomed her with open arms. It had been the only place, other than Hogwarts, that she had ever felt truly accepted. Of course, living with her parents was wonderful, and she loved them with every fibre of her being, but she couldn't help but think of their living situation as rather _bland_. Here, she wasn't surrounded by magic and talks of enchantments and spells. Her parents would try their hardest to educate themselves on Hermione's lifestyle away from them, but it had proven difficult to learn about a world they never knew existed until Hermione had gotten her letter from Hogwarts at the age of 11. Hermione didn't blame them, and she never expected them to be able to understand. For 6 years, Hermione had studied Transfiguration and her father still didn't really know what it was. No. Here she was subjected to small talk about what had been announced on the muggle news and reading her books in silence as her parents enjoyed day time television.

As her mother opened the front door, Hermione was astounded to see the house in perfect condition, just the way she had left it. She had expected the place to be an absolute mess. She was so sure the snatchers would have come here looking for them. But, there wasn't a sign of chaos in sight. As she carried her luggage up the stairs, she was surprised to feel a warm feeling in her heart as she was reunited with her bedroom. From the smooth lilac that covered her walls to the soft fabric of her purple carpet underneath her feet, Hermione had no idea how much she had missed her old room until she had seen it again. As she placed her suitcase at the foot of her bed, Hermione was surprised to find a small note on her pillow.

 _Hermione,_

 _When we heard you and your parents were coming home, we just wanted to make sure everything was the way it was when you left. The snatchers left quite a mess but we managed to clean it up the best we could._

 _Hoping you're all well and looking forward to seeing you again,_

 _The Weasleys._

Hermione sighed lovingly at the note. What a wonderful thing of them to do. She wondered if it had been Ron's idea. But then, he had mentioned in his letter that he hadn't left his room much. _Ron_. She so desperately wanted to disapparate to the Burrow. To see him and to never leave his side again. But, how could she? Her parents had just gotten home, she couldn't leave them now.

"Hermione, love?", her mother suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Hermione spun on her heel to face her standing in the doorway. "Is everything alright? You've been up here for a while", her mother asked. Hermione nodded as she sighed. "What have you got there?", she quizzed further, referring to the note in her daughter's hand.

"Oh. It's just a little welcome home note from the Weasleys. They came and tidied up for us whilst we were away", Hermione told her.

"Oh how thoughtful. I'll have to send Molly some flowers", her mother smiled warmly. Hermione forced a smile back at her as she sat down on her bed. Her mother allowed herself full entry into Hermione's room as she closed the door behind her and joined her on the bed. "What's the matter, sweetheart?", she urged her to talk to her. Hermione bit her bottom lip as she pushed her hair back behind her ears.

"It's nothing. Silly, really", she told her.

"If somethings bothering you, it's never silly, Hermione", her mother told her as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Talk to me". Hermione sighed, nervous about being honest about her true feelings. But this was her mother, and if she couldn't talk to her mother about such things then who _could_ she talk to?

"Well, I – I miss Ron an awful lot. And Harry, of course. I suppose I'm just a little worried about them", she admitted. Hermione's mother suddenly placed a caring hand on her lap as she sighed.

"That's perfectly understandable. The three have you have been through a lot this year", she said sadly. Hermione spotted her staring at the scar on her forearm; a painful reminder of her ordeal at Malfoy Manor. Hermione quickly covered the scar with her hand, rubbing it softly as she felt the swollen flesh against the palm of her hand. "Why don't you go and spend the night over there?", her mother suddenly suggested. Hermione's eyes widened at her mother's sudden recommendation as she searched for a reply.

"But, you and dad have only just gotten back! I couldn't possibly -", she stopped, unable to finish her sentence.

"I think your dad and I would feel much better knowing you're happy and surrounded by people who understand what you're feeling right now", she said, taking the hand that covered the scar on her forearm and holding it tightly within her own. "Mr Shacklebolt told us about – about what happened. Neither of us are going to pressure you into talking about it, sweetheart. I know you'll come to us in your own time. When you're ready", she smiled warmly. "But, for now? I think you should go and be with your friends", she told her. Hermione nodded as she used every ounce of energy she could muster to hold back her tears. Her mother suddenly pulled her into her embrace, wrapping her arms firmly around her shoulders as Hermione wrapped her arms around her waist. With an emotional farewell to her parents, Hermione disapparated to the Burrow. She found herself stood in the middle of the orchard. She only hoped that Mrs Weasley wouldn't be too annoyed at how late she had decided to visit when she was happy to see two people on brooms, whizzing above her head in the sky. The first broom landed six feet away from her as Charlie began to approach her.

"Hullo, there", he smiled brightly. "You must be Hermione", he said, offering his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Charlie", he said.

"It's nice to finally meet you", she said shyly as she shook his hand.

"Hermione?", she heard a familiar voice. Hermione was thrilled to see Ginny running towards her, dropping her broom at her feet as she threw her arms around her shoulders. Hermione hugged her tightly, happy to finally see her again. "You've tanned well", Ginny chuckled.

"Have I?", Hermione asked as she chuckled with her.

"Come on you two, let's get inside", Charlie said as he carried his and Ginny's broom and put them in the broom shed. Ginny and Hermione slowly began to follow him back to the house as Ginny linked her arm within Hermione's.

"Does Ron know you're back?", Ginny asked.

"Don't be daft! If he did, we'd have never heard the last of it! He's been as quiet as a flitterby all day", Charlie replied before Hermione could even respond. Hermione blushed a little as the pair neared the front door. "Mum!", Charlie called as he allowed the girls to enter first before closing the door behind them. "Think we've got an overnight guest", he said. Molly quickly rushed into the kitchen, her face lighting up as she hurried towards Hermione, throwing her arms around shoulders and pulling her down to her height for a hug.

"How wonderful it is to see you, my dear", she smiled brightly as she held Hermione's face in her hands, inspecting every inch of her face. "You really caught the sun over there!", she said.

"Told you", Ginny smirked. Hermione rolled her eyes before diverting her attention back to Molly.

"Thank you so much for tidying up for us. My parents and I really appreciate it", she smiled warmly.

"Oh not a problem at all", Molly told her. "Harry and Bill have just gone into Hogsmeade to pick up a few bits and bobs but they should be back soon", she continued. Hermione continued to smile, wondering whether she should ask what she really desired.

"And – and Ron?", she asked shyly. Molly smirked a little as she shared a small look with Ginny.

"He's upstairs in his room. He'll be so happy to see you", she smiled warmly, gracing her cheek with the palm of her hand. "You go up and say hello and I'll make your bed up in Ginny's room", she said. Hermione smiled sweetly before making her way towards the stairs, trying to remain calm until rushing up them when she was out of sight. She opened his bedroom door, remaining silent as she watched him, his back facing her as he shoved piles of laundry into his chest of drawers.

"For the last time, Harry, I don't want to go to bloody Hogsmeade!", he suddenly said, huffing and puffing with his back still facing her as he piled more laundry into a drawer. "I've got to get this mess tidied up before tomorrow or Hermione will -"

"Hermione will what exactly?", she asked, cutting him off. Ron spun on his heel, this quickest she had ever seen him move as he stared at her blankly. "Hello, Ron", she smiled warmly. There was a moment of silence before Ron hurried towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist as he held her tightly. Hermione couldn't help but feel completely at peace as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her toes barely touching the floor. Suddenly realising that he was practically lifting her, Ron released her from his embrace, taking a step back as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry. I just – I, um -", he stuttered nervously as Hermione gave a breathy chuckle.

"I missed you too", she told him. Ron smiled at her, his cheeks flushing bright red as the pair just stared at each other for a moment. Hermione could've sworn his eyes were a little glossy. Ron turned and made his way over to his bed, sitting down as he patted the empty space beside him, inviting her to join him.

"How was Australia?", he asked as she sat down.

"Warm!", she chuckled. "But it was nice, thank you for asking. I only wish it could've been under better circumstances", she told him.

"Yeah - not exactly a holiday, was it?", he said. Hermione shook her head as she chuckled softly. "Are your parents alright?", he asked. Hermione nodded.

"Yes, they're fine. Happy to be home! How have things been here?", she asked in return. Ron sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"As well as they can be. George seems to be doing a little better. Seems to be doing better than most of us actually!", he told her. "He's been seeing Angelina and Lee a lot though, so I suppose that helps", he continued.

"And your parents?", Hermione quizzed further. Ron shook his head as he looked down at his knees.

"Wake up every day and I don't know whether it's gonna be a good one or a bad one with mum. One minute she's pottering around in the kitchen without a care in the world and the next she's crying her eyes out in Fred and George's old room", he sighed sadly. "And dad – he's just – well, he's not -", Ron stopped midsentence, Hermione could see him struggling as she reached out and placed her hand firmly on top of his. "Do you mind if we talk about something else?", he asked.

"No. Not at all", she smiled warmly at him, feeling his hand slightly tighten around hers. Ron got himself comfortable on his bed, laying down with his head resting on one arm and his hand still holding onto Hermione's as he stared up at her sitting by him. "Didn't anybody ever teach you it's rude to stare?", she raised her eyebrow jokingly at him. Ron chuckled lightly as he looked up at the ceiling.

"I just missed you is all. It's nice when you've been staring at a picture for so long and then you end up with the real thing sat on the edge of your bed holding your hand", he told her, his eyes still on the ceiling as he caressed her knuckles with his thumb. Hermione suddenly laid on her side beside him, taking his chin in her hand as she forced him to look at her.

"I do wish you'd look at me when you talk", she told him as she rolled her eyes.

"I can't help it", he told her, his blue eyes shifting between hers. "You make me nervous", he said her honestly. Hermione smiled sweetly, her lips slowly hovering over his as she ducked her head. Their lips met in a gentle manner, the pair were still for a moment as Hermione just enjoyed the touch of his lips against hers. Oh, how she had missed him. She hadn't realised just how much until this very moment. She placed her flat palm against his cheek as she deepened their kiss, their lips moving against each other as if this is what they had been made to do. Hermione had never really thought about kissing boys and getting up to mischief before, but she honestly didn't expect to like it this much. She had never expected to like kissing _Ron_ this much! But there was nowhere else she would rather be at that moment. They parted lips slowly as Ron looked deep into her eyes, running his fingers through her hair as she looked away shyly. He slowly wrapped his arm around her shoulders, inviting him to lay with her properly. She lowered her body into his embrace, placing her head against his chest as she draped her arm over his stomach. The pair laid there in silence for what felt like hours as Hermione enjoyed her new favourite sound; the sound of Ron's heart beating within his chest.


	7. Safe and Sound

**A/N: Hey guys! I am so so sorry that I haven't updated this in so long! I've been going through a lot these past few months and writing was honestly the last thing on my mind. But, I'm getting better now and writing again is helping me do that so please accept my humblest of apologies and I hope you enjoy what's in store!**

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Ginny sat on the edge of her bed, silently listening to Ron's faded laughter from above. A noise she hadn't heard in what felt like years. She only wished she could let Harry fix her like that. She imagined Ron had opened up to Hermione the moment that he saw her again, and she could only feel jealous at the thought of him feeling like a weight had been lifted so easily. But, Harry already had so much weight on his shoulders, as well as the rest of her family and her friends. How could she bother them with her thoughts and fears? She was still kicking herself for crying in front of George and losing her temper. Everything he had said to her had been drowned out by the voices in her head that were telling her she was being selfish. And she couldn't help but agree with them. Ginny always believed she knew better than to lose herself when others were already so lost. As Ron's laughter from above came to a stop, she wondered how he was doing. The last time she had seen him properly was at the funeral and he wouldn't talk to anyone let alone her. She wondered if Hermione would be the one to finally get him talking again. Each of her brothers possessed one stereotypical brotherly trait; Bill was her protector, in life and in strife. Charlie was her teacher, always teaching her about dragons and other creatures amongst other subjects. Percy was her know-it-all, always making it known that he knew _a lot_ more about most things than others. Fred and George were her pranksters, always messing around and telling jokes. And Ron was her tormentor. The one who would wind her up and had the magical ability to make her roll her eyes within a matter of seconds. But she hadn't known that Ron for a very long time, and she missed him.

"Ginny?", a sudden voice made her jump. She spun around on her bed to see Hermione standing in the doorway. "Sorry, I didn't mean to barge in. I knocked and there was no answer", she explained. Ginny smiled softly at her.

"It's alright. Come in!", she invited her in. Hermione entered the room, closing the door behind her before making her way over to the spare bed that Molly had set up for her in the corner of the room. Ginny couldn't help but feel excited that Hermione would be spending the night in her room. Maybe the nightmares would stop, she thought. After laying out her night clothes neatly on her bed, Hermione sat down, facing Ginny with her legs crossed.

"How have you been?", she asked. Ginny did her best not to roll her eyes. How stupid of her to think that Hermione, the politest person she had ever met, would not ask her how she was. Ginny simply shrugged her shoulders, struggling for any sort of reply as she looked around the room.

"What about you? How are your parents?", she switched the conversation around, hoping Hermione would take the bait.

"They're fine, thank you", Hermione smiled sweetly. "Listen, Ginny. I understand if you don't want to talk about – things, but, if you ever do, I'm here for you", she told her. Ginny could only smile warmly at Hermione's gesture before clearing her throat awkwardly.

"How's Ron? Bet he's perked up now you're back", Ginny smirked. Hermione blushed slightly as she took her larger-than-life hair down from it's neat ponytail.

"He seems to be doing better than when I left", she smiled. "How has he been whilst I've been away?", she asked.

"Wouldn't know. I've barely seen him", Ginny told her honestly. Hermione gave a small audible sigh as she took out a hairbrush from her beaded bag and began to brush her hair.

"He did mention in one of his letters that he'd been hiding in his bedroom, but I thought he'd gotten past that?", she probed further. Ginny only shrugged. The truth was, she didn't know whether Ron had left his room or not since the funeral. "Have you both spoken at all?", Hermione asked. Ginny simply shook her head and she could've sworn she saw Hermione roll her eyes a little. "You know, you and Ron are more alike than you know", Hermione told her as she began to put her hair up into a neat bun.

"How so?", Ginny asked curiously.

"Well, you're both stubborn for a start", Hermione told her simply.

"I am not!", Ginny fought. Hermione suddenly giggled as she began to get changed into her pyjamas.

"See? You're too stubborn to even _admit_ that you're stubborn", she raised her eyebrow at her as she buttoned up her blue-flannel night shirt. Ginny sulked as she began getting changed into her pyjamas herself. "What I'm saying is; you and Ron could help each other" Hermione continued.

"Help each other what?", Ginny quizzed her as she tied her long red hair up into a messy bun.

"Help each other _heal_ ", she told her. Ginny huffed as she pulled an old t-shirt over her head.

"I don't need to _heal_. I'm fine", she lied. Hermione smirked as she watched Ginny fighting with the button of her jeans.

"Maybe so", she said. "But, Ron isn't", she told her.

"I thought you said he was better?", Ginny asked.

"He is. But, he's still hurting", Hermione told her sadly. Ginny had her back to her as she put on a pair of shorts, a guilty expression on her face that she hid from Hermione.

"I'll – I'll talk to him tomorrow", she told her as she got into her bed. Hermione smiled softly at her as she took a toothbrush from her beaded bag and headed towards the door.

"I'm just going to brush my teeth. Goodnight, just in case you're asleep when I get back", Hermione smiled.

"Goodnight", Ginny smiled back as Hermione left the room. She laid on her back staring at the ceiling, a phenomenon that had become a nightly routine for Ginny before she fell asleep. As she slowly drifted off, she wondered if Harry and Ron were talking about their feelings like normal people. She wished she could just open up…

 _The Quidditch grounds were engulfed in flames as she stood right in the middle of the pitch. The fire on the hoops above made her feel uncomfortably warm as she stared at them with a heavy feeling in her heart. Her head pounded and each breath was a struggle as panic surged through her body like an electric shock. She looked down at her feet to see her broom laying on the ground. Cautiously, she mounted the broom and flew upwards, dodging the flames the best she could as she made her way towards the castle. Screams and cries for help echoed in her ears as she flew ever closer. Trolls fought artefacts, giant spiders attacked students, professors fought death eaters. As she watched the chaos from above, she suddenly saw Fred and Percy just inside the entrance of the school. She landed as quickly as possible, leaving her broom behind as she ran towards the entrance of Hogwarts. "Fred! Fred, look out!", she yelled. But Fred couldn't hear her. She ran as fast as her legs would will her to, but it wasn't enough. Only a foot away from the doors, she was suddenly blown back by an explosion. She laid on the cold hard floor, a deafening ringing in her ears as she used every ounce of energy she had to sit up. Everything around her was a blur as she stared into the entrance of the hall, but due to a cloud of smoke, she couldn't see a thing. Coughing, she managed to stand up as she staggered towards the hall. As the smoke began to clear, she could make out Percy kneeling on the floor. "Fred?", she said weakly. As if it were answering her wishes, the smoke cleared entirely to reveal Fred's motionless body on the floor next to Percy. "Fred!", she screamed as she ran towards her brothers. Her knees met the floor with an almighty crash as she leaned over her older brother's lifeless body. "Wake up! Please, wake up! I can't lose you, you have to wake up!", she pleaded as she shook him. But, Fred didn't respond. She collapsed onto his chest, the smell of him made her ache with grief as she grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in anguish. All of a sudden, she was ripped away from Fred by her hair. Her scalp felt as if it were on fire as she was dragged across the floor._

 _"_ _Silly girl!", Bellatrix Lestrange cackled. "Mummy's not going to save you this time", she snarled in her ear._

 _"_ _Let me go! Please! Stop!", she screamed in terror as she tried to escape Bellatrix's clutches. Bellatrix only laughed more at her pleas for mercy as she threw her to the floor. Ginny hit the concrete with an almighty thud as she looked up at Bellatrix. "Please", she said in almost a whisper. Bellatrix gave her a wicked grin as she played with her wand between her fingers._

 _"_ _AVADA KEDAVRA!", she screeched as she pointed her wand at Ginny._

… "Ginny! Ginny, wake up". Ginny's eyes sprung open in terror to see Hermione's worried face hovering over her as she shook her gently. Ginny sat up in her bed, beads of sweat pouring from her forehead as Hermione grabbed her wand and whispered 'lumos', filling the room with light as she sat on the edge of Ginny's bed. Ginny caught her breath as she avoided Hermione's concerned gaze.

"What happened?", Ginny dared to ask.

"You – you were screaming", Hermione told her. Ginny could feel her cheeks flushing bright red with embarrassment as she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Was I?", she played dumb. "I must've had a nightmare", she forced a small laugh. Hermione looked at her sadly as Ginny tried her best not to let her see that she was shaken. She knew Hermione wasn't stupid.

"Let me get you a glass of water", Hermione offered.

"No. It's alright. I'll go and get one", Ginny said as she swung her legs out of bed. "You go back to sleep. I'm alright", she told her.

"Are you sure?", Hermione asked as Ginny got out of bed and put on her cream dressing gown.

"Yeah, I'm sure", she forced a smile as she slipped her feet into her old purple slippers and made her way out of the room, leaving Hermione to get back to sleep. Ginny walked down the stairs, careful not to make a sound as she tiptoed into the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. As she brought the glass to her lips, she found herself downing it all in one go as if she had been dehydrated for years. She made herself another glass of water as she pondered what to do next. She would usually sneak into Ron's room to sleep beside Harry, but she knew Hermione was a light sleeper and she couldn't risk it. So, she had decided that she would sit in the living room for a little while. Maybe she wouldn't sleep at all. She hadn't decided yet. She just knew that she didn't want to go back to her room. As she filled the room with light, she was startled to find Ron sitting alone in the dark. "Merlin! You frightened the life out of me", she said, holding on to her glass of water for dear life.

"Sorry", Ron said.

"What are you doing up?", she asked as she sat on the sofa across from him.

"Couldn't sleep", he told her. Ginny itched the back of her neck, searching for something else to say when Ron suddenly sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked at her sadly. "I heard you", he said suddenly. Ginny was taken aback by his sudden admission as she took a sip of her water.

"Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you", she apologised.

"Nah, you didn't. I was already awake", he told her. Ginny raised her eyebrow curiously at him before taking another sip of her water, hoping he would explain why he was awake. "Do you have nightmares about him?", he asked. Nightmares about _who_? Voldemort? Or Fred? Either way, the answer was still yes, she thought. As she sat there silently for a moment, she thought of all the things she could say in protest, but she found herself tired of lying as she slowly nodded, looking into the bottom of her glass. Ron sighed as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"Yeah. Me too", he told her.

"You – you do?", she asked. Ron nodded as he sat back in his armchair. Something inside of Ginny suddenly felt different after her brother's admission. "But, you always seem to sleep so soundly", she said, without thinking. She snapped her eyes shut as she realised what she had just said. She knew Ron wasn't the brightest, but she knew he would figure out she had been sneaking into his room to see Harry whilst he was asleep. Ron shook his head as he sighed once more.

"Just pretending", he told her. Ginny's eyes shifted nervously as she waited for him to continue. "I know you come up to see Harry every night. I just snore until you're both asleep and then I get up and come down here", he told her.

"Why?", she asked.

"Probably for the same reason you sneak into my room every night", he told her. "I just want the nightmares to stop", he continued honestly.

"Does it work?", she asked.

"Not really", he sighed. "I just end up sitting in the dark for hours until I fall asleep. Then I wake up and go back to bed before you or mum and dad get up". Ginny felt sorry for Ron. She couldn't imagine that he'd had much sleep at all in the past few weeks. "Does your way work?", he suddenly asked.

"What way?", she replied.

"Sleeping next to Harry. Because if it does, I'm gonna be cuddling up to him as well", he joked. Ginny chuckled as she put her empty glass down on the small wooden table in front of her before nodding.

"I – I just feel safe", she admitted. And just like that, the weight that she had felt in her heart for so long had suddenly become much lighter.

"I'm sorry this is so shit, Ginny", Ron suddenly apologised.

"Me too", she sighed. "I just want it all to be a dream", she told him honestly, her heart feeling lighter and lighter with every admission she made. Ron nodded as he looked at her sadly.

"I'm gonna be a better brother from now on", he told her. Ginny looked at him sadly in return at his sudden promise. She got up from the sofa and made her way over to him, sitting on the arm of the chair as she found the words to speak.

"You're already a better brother. We just need to look after each other a little more", she told him. Ron smiled warmly at her as she put her arm around his shoulder, pulling him into her side for a long-awaited hug. And as she silently shared a hug with her brother, her heart began to feel as light as a feather and her mind at ease. Hermione was right; they _were_ more alike than she knew. Ginny was going to look after Ron now, and she knew that he would look after her in return. And together, they would heal what had been damaged.


	8. With or Without You

**WARNING: MATURE CONTENT!**

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George stood in the middle of his empty joke shop. Dust had begun to gather on the boxes of unbought Skiving Snack Boxes and every corner of the shop had more than a few cobwebs. George hadn't been lying when he told his family that business had been slow, but he wasn't telling the whole truth either. The first-time George had attempted to open the shop since Fred's passing, his first customer approached him at the counter and with a cheery tone, George said; "Welcome to Weasley's Wizard Wheezes! How can we-", but he couldn't finish his sentence. Not only had he used the term 'we', but his own voice felt so lonely without the echo of Fred. He froze in front of the customer, who seemed to get a little nervous herself as she asked him question after question. But George just stood there motionless, unable to speak until Lee Jordan came to his rescue and served the customer. Ever since, George hadn't liked opening the shop as much as he used to. The last handful of times he had opened the shop, he had asked Bill and Charlie to cover for him by coming up with the lie that he had some inventions that needed his undivided attention. But the truth was, George hadn't invented anything new in months, and he loathed being in that shop now. Everything reminded him of Fred, from the inventions on the shelves they had created, to the hardwood floors they had picked out together. He finally felt like his grieving process was coming to an end, but the shop took him back to square one every time. Today, he couldn't afford to keep the shop closed another day, and he couldn't ask for help either; Bill was visiting Fleur's family in France and Charlie had travelled back to Romania that morning, and he knew he couldn't ask Ron or Ginny, they would ask too many questions. No. Today would have to be the day that George would force himself to be brave and open the shop on his own. And just as he prepared himself to unlock the door and flip the 'Open' sign, there was a sudden knock on the shops door. George jumped back in surprise as the knocking sound came again.

"George? I know you're in there! Let me in!", he heard Angelina call. He quickly unlocked and opened the door to let her in. "Hey", she smiled brightly as she barged past him, inviting herself inside.

"Uh – hi. What are you doing here? I thought you were in Devon with your parents?", he asked as she looked around the shop.

"Oh, I was going to! But then I thought; 'nah'. They could do with some alone time anyway. They've been arguing _a lot_ ", she rolled her eyes as she ran her finger along the top of a Skiving Snack Box, inspecting the clean trail she had left behind.

"So, why are you here? We're not even open yet", George laughed nervously.

"Well, I thought you could use some help", she smiled warmly. George raised his eyebrow at her.

"You want to help me run the shop?", he asked. Angelina nodded as she rolled up the sleeves of her old Quidditch jumper. "You know I'm not going to pay you, right?", he asked. Angelina laughed as she playfully punched him on the arm.

"I don't need your money, Weasley", she smirked. "Just wanna help out is all", she told him sincerely.

"Okay", George said suspiciously.

"But, before we do _anything_! This place needs dusting, like, yesterday!", she joked as she tied her hair back. "Customers don't buy stuff with dust on, you know? Unless you owned a shop that sells dust or something", she smirked. George rolled his eyes at her before taking off his jacket and taking his wand out of his back pocket.

"Alright then. What's the best cleaning spell you know?", he asked. Angelina suddenly started laughing as she approached him.

"Oh no. You won't be needing this", she told him as she took his wand from his hand. "We're doing this the _old-fashioned_ way", she said as she threw a dust cloth at him.

"What? You really want me to hand dust _all_ of these shelves?", George asked. Angelina nodded as she got started on the Skiving Snack Boxes.

"I think you'll find cleaning is sort of therapeutic", she told him. George scoffed.

"Yeah, if you're a _girl_ ", he smirked at her. Angelina faked an offended expression as she gasped.

"Sexist pig", she scowled at him as he laughed. It took the pair a good hour to dust all of the shelves, sweep the floors and get rid of all the cobwebs and George found that Angelina had been correct; cleaning the old-fashioned way _was_ rather therapeutic. As George finished wiping the windows, Angelina approached him with a cold bottle of Pumpkin Fizz.

"Have you been raiding my fridge?", he raised his eyebrow suspiciously as he took the drink from her hand. Angelina only shrugged as she took a sip from her own bottle.

"It needs filling. The fridge, I mean", she told him.

"Well, mum's been feeding me a lot so I haven't really needed to get any food", he told her. Angelina gave him a sad look as she looked down at the bottle in her hand. "What?", he asked when she didn't respond.

"Your flat could do with a good cleaning too", she suddenly said. George rolled his eyes at her.

"You'll be telling me I need to scrub the toilet next!", he laughed. Angelina smiled as she shook her head.

"It's alright, you know? To need help", she said. George looked a little perplexed at her sudden seriousness.

"Help? Who says I need help?", he asked. Angelina rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

"You're a crap liar, you know that?", she told him. George sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm doing alright. Felt loads better recently", he told her.

"I know. And that's great. But you're still a long way from alright, George", she told him. George remained awkwardly silent as he watched her staring into her half-empty bottle. He knew she was right, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Let's open, shall we?", he suggested. Angelina nodded as she made her way over to the counter, leaving George to flip the 'Open' sign and open the door. The day was as steady as it usually was these days. Only a handful of customers had come and bought a few bits and bobs. George believed they were only ' _pity-buys_ ', especially when an elderly witch walked away having purchased two Rocket Boxes. As George used a cleaning charm on the floor at the end of the working day, Angelina closed the door and flipped the 'Open' sign to 'Closed' before watching George count the day's takings.

"How'd we do?", she asked.

"25 galleons and 13 sickles", he sighed.

"That's not so bad", Angelina tried her best to reassure him. George raised his eyebrow at her as she nervously rubbed the back of her neck.

"Oh well", George sighed as he put the day's earnings in a safe under the counter, locking it with his wand. "Wanna come upstairs for a butterbeer?", he asked. Angelina nodded before the pair turned out the lights and headed upstairs to George's flat. There were dirty and clean clothes strewn all over the floor of George's living room. A muggle television set that his father had given he and Fred as a Christmas present sat gathering dust in the far corner next to a lonely looking sofa that had been covered with a knitted blanket. Angelina took a seat as George prepared their butterbeers. He handed her a glass before taking a seat next to her, kicking his shoes off as he sighed dramatically.

"Anyone would think you'd run a marathon", she chuckled.

"I feel like I have! Haven't worked a full day since-", he stopped. He angrily pinched the skin between his eyebrows. Why couldn't he just say it? He could feel Angelina's eyes burning into his skin as he shut his own eyes tightly in frustration.

"I miss him too", she suddenly said. George refrained from pinching the skin between his eyebrows as his eyelids softened at her words. How hard must it be for her to force herself to spend time with a bloke that looks exactly like her dead ex-boyfriend?

"You can leave if you want. You don't have to stay here", he told her suddenly as he took a sip of his butterbeer.

"I know I don't. I want to", she told him defiantly. George dared to look at her as she looked back at him with sincere eyes. "You can talk about him, you know? Fred, I mean", she said. George sighed as he ran his fingers through his fiery red hair. He wanted to talk about Fred. He wanted to more than anything he had ever wanted before. But every time he even thought about it, it left an awful knotting feeling in his stomach that he couldn't quite shake. He found it easier talking about Fred when it concerned others, but his own feelings? He just couldn't. He knew Angelina wanted to talk about him, she was just too polite to say so, and she knew George was struggling, no matter how many times he denied it. He wanted to try. Not only for Angelina, but for himself.

"It's weird", he sighed, the knotted feeling in his stomach intensifying with every breath. "Keep expecting him to walk through the door like it's all one big joke", he told her. Angelina chuckled softly.

"He did love a good prank", she replied. George gave a breathy laugh as he sat forward.

"Would've been the prank of the century that one!", he said.

"Breaking up with him was the easiest break up I've ever been through", she suddenly said. George widened his eyes at her sudden revelation. He had heard the story of how Fred and Angelina had broken up many times from Fred himself, but he had never heard Angelina speak about it. He got comfy as he laid back on the sofa, willing her to continue as he raised his eyebrow at her. "Not in that way!", she rolled her eyes. "I was obviously sad we were breaking up, but, Fred just made it so - _simple_ ", she explained.

"Why simple?", George pried.

"Fred basically said ' _I think we should go back to being just friends_ ' and I said ' _Me too_ ', and then he made some stupid joke about me being heartbroken without him and I just laughed him off and that was it", she chuckled as she recalled the memory. George chuckled as Angelina sighed, taking her hair down from its ponytail. "I w _as_ sad that we were breaking up. But, I much preferred being his friend", she told him honestly.

"Yeah. Mum's always said _I'm_ the charming one", George joked. Angelina laughed as she playfully slapped him on the thigh.

"I bet you've heard that story a million times though", she said. George nodded.

"But, it was interesting hearing you tell it. A lot less dramatic than Fred's version of events", he rolled his eyes as he chuckled. "I miss him telling me stuff. I miss telling _him_ stuff", he suddenly said, unfiltered. He hadn't noticed that the knot he had previously felt in his stomach had begun to loosen as he continued to talk about Fred. Angelina shuffled closer to him on the sofa as she placed her hand caringly on his thigh.

"I know it's not the same, but – if you ever need to talk, about _anything_ , I'm always here to listen", she smiled warmly at him. George smiled back at her, a warm feeling in his chest as his body became very aware of her open palm on his thigh. He cleared his throat awkwardly as Angelina took her hand from his leg, running her fingers through her long charcoal hair. "I should get going. It's getting late", she said as she stood up, placing her empty cup on a nearby sideboard. George stood up as well, placing his glass next to hers as he followed her towards the door. "Oh! I almost forgot", she said as she searched through her bag. She took out a small blue purse and, from it, handed him 6 galleons. "Here", she said. George slowly took the money from her hand with a perplexed expression on his face.

"What's this for?", he asked. Angelina simply shrugged at his question. "I can't take money from you", he said, offering it back.

"You're not _taking money from me_ , I'm a paying customer!", she said, making it up as she went along. George raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously.

"Oh really? And, what are you buying exactly?", he quizzed.

"I – um – I'll take a Screaming Yo-Yo", she told him.

"They're only 5 galleons", he said.

"Well, then – keep the change", she grinned. George chuckled as he stared at her beaming smile. The warm feeling in his chest intensified as his heart began to beat rapidly. He didn't know what he was doing or why, but all of a sudden, he found himself crashing his lips into hers with such a force that he thought he might break her. He knew he should've stopped but, he just couldn't. Instead, he waited for her to push him away but, to his surprise, she suddenly snaked her arms around his neck as she returned the kiss. With his hands on her hips, George kissed her hungrily, enjoying the smell and overall feel of her as her hands allowed themselves to get lost in his hair. Before he knew it, she had jumped up a little, wrapping her legs firmly around his waist, his length pressing against her inner thigh. Their lips never parting, George carried her carefully into his bedroom, where he threw her down onto his bed, hovering over her as their lips moved vigorously against each other. She began to fight with the buttons on his shirt as he shifted to one side, removing her small black skirt in one swift motion and throwing it across the room. He knew he should stop. A small voice in his head willed him to. But, he couldn't hear the voice, neither did he want to as Angelina unbuckled his belt, her hand reaching down into his boxers and freeing him from them. The warmth of her hand against his manhood was enough to send him over the edge. In that moment, the outside world no longer mattered. Everything that had been troubling him became a distant memory. He was so lost in her.


	9. Kiss Me

Harry sat alone in the Orchard one sunny afternoon. He skimmed stones across the lake as he pondered what to do with himself. He had been a constant third wheel to Ron and Hermione ever since she had returned and he wanted to give them some space. Ginny had gone into Hogsmeade that morning to pick up a few things and he was suddenly finding himself lost without her. He didn't talk about his feelings or his thoughts with her, but that was the beauty of their relationship; he didn't _need_ to. And he _really_ didn't. Just being with her was enough to heal him somehow. A few times he thought maybe he should say something. Talk through his emotions like any other person would, but he honestly didn't see the point. He wasn't hurting when he was with Ginny. And maybe, that was the problem. Harry jumped as he felt a sudden tap on his shoulder. He spun around on the grass to see Ginny's bright smile beaming down at him.

"Have you been down here all morning?", she asked.

"Guess I have", he laughed nervously as he stood to his feet. Ginny gave him a small peck on the cheek as she smiled warmly at him.

"I was thinking; do you fancy a small game of Quidditch later?", she asked. Harry's eyes lit up at her suggestion. He couldn't even remember the last time he had played Quidditch. He nodded eagerly as he took her hands within his own.

"Sounds great", he smiled.

"I just need to go and see George first, mum made him some lunch. Do you want to come with me?", she asked. Harry agreed and the pair made their way back to the Burrow, hand in hand, to retrieve George's lunch before disapparating to Diagon Alley. Ginny lead the way, approaching a small door just behind the joke shop. The door to George's flat. Ginny knocked but there was no answer. So, she knocked a few more times, more aggressively each time her knuckles met the hard wood. "George? George, are you in there?", she called whilst still knocking. But there was still no answer. Shrugging her shoulders, she reached into her bag and pulled out a small piece of parchment and a quill. "I'll just leave a note for him. He must have gone out or something", she said as she scribbled on the parchment before putting it on top of the tub of food and placing it carefully outside the door.

"Are you sure he'll find that alright?", Harry asked.

"Have you met _any_ of my brothers? One whiff of food and they'll come running", she chuckled. Harry chuckled with her before the pair joined hands and disapparated back to the Burrow. Dinner with the Weasleys was an awkward affair. Something that had become quite regular within the household. Arthur played with the food on his plate, never uttering a word as Molly whittled on about every minute of her day. Ron and Hermione glanced bashfully at each other across the table as Ginny nodded along to every word that left her mother's lips.

"I do hope George eats his sandwiches. I hate to think that he's going hungry", Molly said as she finished her meal.

"He's a big boy, I'm sure he can feed himself", Ginny reassured her.

"Yes, well – things are different now", Molly replied as she cleared her throat awkwardly, charming her plate to hover carefully to the kitchen sink. No one had even noticed that Arthur had finished his meal too as he silently got up from his chair and wandered outside. Probably to the garage, Harry thought. He couldn't help but notice the sad lingering look on Molly's face as she watched her husband leave. As everyone finished their food, Molly began charming all the dirty plates and cutlery to fly into the kitchen as she wiped the table.

"Would you like any help in the kitchen, Mrs Weasley?", Hermione offered politely. Molly smiled warmly as she nodded.

"Thank you, dear", she said as she and Hermione made their way into the kitchen.

"Ron, Harry and I are going to play Quidditch, fancy it?", Ginny asked.

"Nah, m'alright. Tired", Ron declined as he got up from his chair and wandered upstairs, leaving Harry and Ginny alone at the dinner table.

"Shall we?", Ginny smiled. Harry nodded as the pair got up and made their way outside to the garden shed where all the brooms were kept. Harry felt so at peace as he mounted his broom and took off into the air. The cool wind blowing in his face sent shivers down his spine as he whizzed around for a moment, enjoying the feeling of flight. "Oi! Potter!", Ginny called, pulling him from his thoughts. "Beaters or chasers?", she smirked, bouncing a Quaffle in the palm of her hand.

"Beaters", Harry smirked back. Ginny pulled two small wooden bats from the back of her jeans and threw one towards Harry. "Game on!", Harry called as he whizzed past her, snatching the Quaffle from her clutches and batting it across the Orchard. They would usually use a Bludger, but Molly had banned the use of them in the Orchard ever since George had managed to hit one so hard that it flew through the roof of the garden shed and had made a large hole for Arthur to fix, as well as destroying Molly's flowers that were growing inside at the time. The game never really had an objective when it was just the two of them. Harry just enjoyed batting the Quaffle back and forth, especially with someone as skilful as Ginny. He had always thought very highly of himself when it came to Quidditch, and he once thought that Viktor Krum may have been the best Quidditch player he had ever seen! But, that had all changed the first time he watched Ginny play. He remembered the warm, mesmerising feeling he felt as he watched her in astonishment, scoring point after point as she quite literally soared through her trial. The Quaffle quickly flew past him, passing his right ear by mere inches as he was pulled from his thoughts, leaving Ginny to whizz past him to retrieve it.

"That's 30 points to me!", she called.

"Who said we were keeping score?", Harry smirked as he called back. Ginny whizzed back up into the air, Quaffle in hand as she came to a sudden stop as she reached Harry, her nose but a few inches away from his as she smirked.

"I _always_ keep score", she spoke softly. Harry slowly pressed his lips against hers, allowing one hand to wander through her long red hair as the other held on to his broom. Ginny allowed the Quaffle to fall to the ground below as she returned the kiss, wrapping her arms firmly around Harry's shoulders so she could feel his body against hers, as well as keeping her up in the air. The kiss was slow and soft, but somehow felt passionate and fiery. Ginny slowly parted their lips, smiling softly at him as she straightened his glasses. "Let's go and sit by the lake for a while", she suggested, her tone still soft, sending his heart racing with every syllable. Harry nodded as the pair flew down together. As they reached the edge of the lake, Harry laid his jacket on the floor, laying on top of it as he invited Ginny to join him. Harry looked up at the stars for what seemed like forever. Ginny curled up at his side with her arm wrapped firmly around his waist as if she were meant to be there. As if that part of his body was specifically made for her and only her. She sighed contently as she tightened her grip, Harry ducked his head down, placing a soft kiss on her crown.

"I wish we could stay like this forever", he said, in almost a whisper.

"Me too", she replied delicately, her hand now on his chest as she drew lazy circles with her finger. "It's so easy to just forget about everything for a little while out here", she sighed. Harry took her chin in his hand as he gently lifted her head up to face him, softly pressing his lips against hers as she reached up, her fingertips on the back of his neck felt like hot coals touching his bare skin. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him as he deepened the kiss. Her very smell flooded every sense he thought he knew well. His hand was lost in her smoother-than-silk hair once more, it's favourite place to be as she cupped his jaw in the palm of her hand. It was quite a windy evening, and yet, Harry was sweating. Every inch of him shuddered under her touch as she entwined her leg with his, her thigh mere inches away from his manhood. Harry hoped that she daren't move her thigh any closer, he thought he might explode! They parted lips gently as Ginny looked deep into his eyes, like she was staring right into his soul. "I love you, Harry", she suddenly said, her voice soft and shaky, wavering from exhilaration. And that's when it hit him, like a Bludger to the chest. He loved her too. Of course he did. But, this was not going to be their first time. Harry couldn't have it happen like this. He wanted her. Merlin's beard, he wanted her more than anything he had ever wanted in his entire life! But his first time with Ginny was not going to be out in the windy Orchard, a few feet away from her family home whilst she was still grieving. He knew that Ginny wouldn't want it this way either. He knew her well enough to know that she was trying to distract herself. Harry took her hand that was placed on his chest within his own as he lifted it up to his lips, kissing it tenderly.

"I love you too", he said. Ginny's smile beamed at him as she attempted to return to their passionate state, but Harry was quick to stop her as he placed the palm of his hand against her cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb. "You deserve the world, Ginny Weasley. And you deserve a hell of a lot more than a quick fumble in a dirty field", he told her honestly.

"Quick, ay?", she teased, raising her eyebrow. Harry rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

"You know what I mean", he told her. Ginny sighed in defeat as she nodded her head, sitting up to her knees as she rubbed her shoulders. Harry was quick to take the jacket they had been laying on and wrapped it around her, making sure she wasn't cold as she smiled warmly at him.

"How did I get so lucky?", she suddenly asked. Harry smiled at her, carefully pushing her hair behind her ear as he admired her freckles.

"I keep asking myself the same thing", he sighed contently. The pair shared a quick kiss before Harry stood up, offering his hand out to Ginny to help her up before they walked hand in hand back to the Burrow.

"Where have you two been?", Hermione asked as they entered the warmth of the Weasley home.

"Just playing a little bit of Quidditch", Ginny smiled. "I'm going to get ready for bed", she continued as she kissed Harry on the cheek before disappearing up the stairs.

"Harry", Hermione suddenly said in a hushed tone. "Can I speak with you?". Harry nodded as he allowed a worried Hermione to lead him into the living room.

"Is everything alright?", he asked as he took a seat on the old patch-work sofa.

"I'm not sure", she answered nervously as she took a seat herself. Harry looked at her, utterly puzzled, as he waited for her to explain. "I was helping Molly tidy up after dinner and shortly after I could hear her yelling outside", she explained.

" _Yelling_?", Harry echoed her words. Hermione nodded.

"She was yelling at Arthur. They were yelling at _each other_ ", she continued.

"I wouldn't get too worried, Hermione. Parents argue sometimes", Harry said nonchalantly.

"Not like this. She was _hysterical_ , Harry. And – and I think Arthur may have left", she told him.

"What do you mean?", Harry asked, sitting forward in his seat.

"Well, Molly returned and went straight upstairs. Arthur didn't. And he's not in the garage either", she explained.

"Maybe he went for a walk or something?", Harry suggested. Hermione sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair.

"I don't know, Harry. I'm just glad Ron didn't hear it. The last thing he and Ginny needs is to be worrying about their parents' relationship", she said, as she bit her lip.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, Hermione", he smiled at her. Hermione managed to force a smile back as she continued to chew her lip nervously. "Why don't we swap rooms? Just for tonight", he suddenly suggested. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him accusingly. "I'll stay with Ginny, and you can stay with Ron", he explained further.

"I'm sure Molly wouldn't be too fond of the idea. I couldn't possibly -", she failed to finish her sentence as she pondered the idea.

"It's just for one night. I really want to make sure Ginny's alright. I know Ron would prefer your company", he told her. Hermione still looked unconvinced as she pondered the idea further. "If we both wake up at 5am, we can swap back before Molly even notices", he suggested. Hermione sighed as she nodded slowly.

"It would put my mind at rest to keep an eye on him. You know – make sure he's sleeping", she told him. Harry nodded as he smiled warmly at her. "Alright", she gave in.

"Thanks, Hermione", Harry smiled as he got up and gave her a hug. As he made his way towards the stairs, he stopped for a moment, turning to face Hermione once more. "Hermione?", he said. Hermione gave him a slight nod. "Are _you_ sleeping alright?", he asked.

"Me? I'm fine", she smiled sweetly. Harry smiled back at her, giving a slight nod himself before saying goodnight and heading upstairs. He opened the door to Ginny's room carefully. The room was pitch black and he could just about make out Ginny's silhouette under her duvet. He gently lifted the side of her duvet as he carefully got in the bed behind her. Her back perfectly curving against his stomach as he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"What are you doing in here?", she whispered sleepily.

"I made a deal with Hermione", he whispered back as he kissed her cheek softly.

"Good", she sighed contently as she placed her hand softly on top of his. "Goodnight, Harry", she whispered delicately.

"Goodnight, Ginny", he replied.


	10. Afire Love

**A/N: An extra long chapter to make up for having realised that I'd neglected Ron!**

* * *

Ron laid on his back, resting his head against his long pale arms that were crossed behind his neck as he stared at the ceiling. He wondered what was taking Harry so long. He was waiting for him to go to bed and fall asleep so that he was free to sneak downstairs and read one of Hermione's muggle books that he had taken a shining to; _The Diving Bell and the Butterfly_. Ron hadn't thought much to it at first, given its girly name, but he was running out of things to do whilst he hung out downstairs in the middle of the night and the book had proved to be quite interesting. It had somehow helped him to forget how tired he was. He was feeling much better as the days went on, especially now that Hermione had returned, but his sleeping pattern was in shatters due to his fear of nightmares. He had only had two since the first one he had had in his Gryffindor dorm room shortly after the battle, but they were both just as horrific. The first one he had had was nothing but a memory; he raced over to his family who were crowded around Fred's lifeless body. The second one, he had found himself back in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, Hermione's piercing screams of agony from above flooded the entire mansion, his heart sinking into his chest as he attempted to break out. To save her. But there was no Dobby this time. There was no way out. As he hunched over on the floor, pressing his hands tightly against his ears, he was unable to escape Hermione's screams for him, her voice ringing through his mind as if she were stood right next to him. He had never heard her scream his name like that, and his heart felt like it was shattering as he realised he was powerless. There was nothing he could do but sit there and hear her cry. Ron shook the thought as he sat up in his bed, checking the time on the old clock that hung lopsided on his wall. _Where was he?_ He hated that he had to wait for Harry to go to bed. He wanted to be able to turn over and go to sleep like any normal person would at 11:45pm. And that's when he decided that's exactly what he would do. So what if he had another nightmare? He had been through worse things in real life, things his own mind couldn't even compete with. Using the deluminator that had been given to him in Dumbledore's will, Ron cleared the room of all light, feeling rather calm as he watched the small balls of light disappear into his deluminator. He settled down on his old comfy mattress, wrapping himself snugly in his duvet and the patch-work blanket his mother had made for him years ago. But, his comfort was short-lived as he heard the door creak open. He shut his eyes tight, trying to ignore Harry's poor attempt to not disturb him as he snuck into his room. But there was a sudden thud at the end of his bed, and an audible 'ouch' that he could've sworn came from a girl. Ron sat up with his deluminator, clicking it quickly as the two balls of light returned to reveal Hermione stood at the end of his bed, nursing the toe he assumed she had just stubbed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you", she whispered.

"What are you doing in here?", he asked, squinting his eyes as they adjusted to the light once again.

"Harry wanted to stay with Ginny tonight to make sure she's alright so I said I'd sleep in his bed for the night", she explained. Ron smiled warmly at her as she grinned awkwardly, still nursing her toe before scurrying towards Harry's bed. He made sure she was comfortable and ready to settle down before clicking the deluminator once more, plunging the room into darkness.

"Goodnight, Hermione", he spoke softly.

"Goodnight", her sweet voice replied. Ron sighed as he laid on his back once more, staring at the ceiling above as he thought about the conversation he had had with Ginny not so long ago. Being awake every night meant he had heard every single scream Ginny had shrieked from one of her nightmares, but he had noticed she had never slept sounder than when she was next to Harry. " _I just feel safe_ ", her words resounded in his head. Ron felt safe, there was no question of that. But, maybe it was those around him he wanted to protect. Maybe those were the people he wanted to feel safe. And the person he wanted to feel safe the most was but a few feet away from him. Maybe Ginny's method of escaping the nightmares would work for him too? But, how would he explain that to Hermione without sounding like the biggest loser in the world? "Ron?", he suddenly heard her voice. His eyes widened as he tried to remain calm.

"Mmm?", he replied nonchalantly.

"Are you alright? You're fidgeting an awful lot", she said. Ron hadn't even realised that he had been tossing and turning in his bed whilst he was untangling himself from his thoughts, causing the springs in his old mattress to creak. He sighed as he failed to come up with a decent enough excuse to tell her. He sat up in his bed, once again clicking the deluminator and flooding the room with light. Hermione propped herself up on one elbow, squinting at him slightly.

"Do – do you think it'd be alright if – well – do you want to? – Would you, stay here – with me? – In my bed, I mean – not in a weird way", he asked awkwardly as he stumbled over his words. Hermione suddenly let out a small giggle as she ran her fingers through her hair. Ron was mortified by her response. Stupid tosser. Of course she wouldn't! He squeezed his eyes shut and he allowed himself to flop back on to his bed, feeling like the biggest idiot in the world. He angrily pinched the skin between his eyebrows when he suddenly felt a warm presence join his side. He opened his eyes to see Hermione sitting beside him, covering herself neatly with his duvet as she smiled down at him lovingly. Ron gave her a goofy grin before sitting up beside her, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Thank you", he said awkwardly.

"There's no need to thank me, Ron", she chuckled softly. "I – I'm your girlfriend. You don't have to have a reason to want me to lay with you", she smiled softly. Ron smiled brightly at her, admiring her deep brown eyes as they stared warmly at him. She suddenly ran her fingers delicately through his tufty red hair, coming to a slow stop as the palm of her hand suddenly met his jaw. And almost in an instant, she had allowed her lips to meet his. But this kiss wasn't anything like their first. There was no fear and no feeling of _what if_? Their lips moved softly against each other, as if they were designed to be together. As Hermione gently entwined her fingers within his, Ron softly ran his fingers through her larger-than-life brunette locks. Her hair was so soft, and she smelt so good, unlike anything he had ever touched or smelled in his life. They slowly parted lips, their noses mere inches apart as he gazed into her eyes, enjoying the sight of her gazing right back into his own. Hermione suddenly furrowed her brow curiously as she looked down at the pillow she was leaning against. She reached under it and pulled out the book Ron had been reading for the past few nights. "Why do you have my book?", she asked.

"I – I've been reading it", he told her. Hermione smiled warmly at him as she examined her book in her lap.

"Really? What do you think of it?", she asked.

"Think it's really good actually. I was going to read some more but – well - ", his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. Hermione laid back against his headboard, inviting Ron to join her. Ron laid down beside her, his head nestled comfortably in the crook of her armpit as she began to play with his hair.

"Where did you get to?", she asked.

" _The Dream_ ", he said sleepily. Hermione flipped the book open to the correct page as she began to read.

" _As a rule, I do not recall my dreams. At the approach of day their plots inevitably fade_ ", she began to read. Her voice was so soothing as Ron listened intently. He couldn't help but give a little yawn as she continued to read to him, her small, delicate fingers still softly dancing through his hair. He had never felt this at peace. Ron felt like the whole moment had been nothing more than the best dream he had ever had when he awoke to find himself in bed alone, looking over at Harry in his own bed on the other side of his room. He sighed wistfully as he laid on his back, propping his head up with his arms as he smiled to himself. He had missed the feeling of a good night's sleep. But, he also couldn't help but wish Hermione could read to him _every_ night. He felt like a child again. Excited to hear his mother telling him stories of Babbity Rabbity and the Cackling Stump and The Wizard and the Hopping Pot at bed time. But he did not get that child-like feeling he had once felt. No. He felt nothing but warmth and pure admiration as he listened to Hermione read for him. Her words sounded like the softest of silks, gently dancing around his head as he took in her scent and the weird yet wonderful little quirks she had whilst she read that he had never really noticed before. Like the way she would give her nose a little wiggle when she reached a new chapter, or the swift lick she gave her thumb before turning a page.

"Ron! Harry! Breakfast!", his thoughts were rudely interrupted by his mother calling from downstairs. As he swung his legs off the edge of his bed, he looked over at Harry, who was still sleeping soundly.

"Harry", he said, as he threw a pillow at his best friend. Harry's eyes flickered open as he squinted at Ron, sleepily feeling around for his glasses on the small table beside him. "Food", Ron said simply before swapping his bed shorts for some jogging bottoms and standing up, giving a dramatic stretch before ruffing his hair in an attempt to get rid of his bed head. After brushing his teeth and having a quick shower, Ron made his way downstairs to find his mother alone in the kitchen, making bacon sandwiches for he and Harry. "Where is everyone?", he asked sleepily as he sat down at the table.

"Ginny and Hermione have gone to do a bit of shopping in Diagon Alley", his mother told him as she placed a plate with two sandwiches in front of him.

"And dad?", he asked further. Molly didn't respond as she finished making a sandwich for Harry.

"Did you sleep well?", she asked, her back turned to him as he swallowed a mouth full of food.

"Brilliantly actually", he said honestly as he took another bite out of his sandwich. His mother turned to face him, smiling brightly at his response as she placed another sandwich on the table. As if he had smelt the food that had been made for him, Harry dragged his feet down the stairs, joining Ron at the table.

"Morning, Mrs Weasley", he said.

"Good morning, Harry. Did you sleep alright?", she asked as she joined them at the table.

"Yes, thank you", he smiled warmly at her. Molly smirked at them both as they ate their sandwiches.

"Wonderful. Wouldn't have anything to do with _swapping rooms_ , would it?", she suddenly asked. Ron almost choked on his food at her sudden query, whereas Harry dropped his sandwich completely. The pair of them tried to defend themselves quickly before Molly held up her hand, halting their words altogether. She sighed in resignation as she looked between them both. Ron could feel his heart pounding within his chest. He couldn't help but remember the time Charlie had snuck a girl into his room when he was Ron's age. He didn't think he had ever seen his mother so angry and he could only imagine the rollicking he and Harry were about to receive. "I'm not an idiot. Harry, I know that Ginny has been sneaking into Ron's room every night and I very much doubt she was in there to have a chat with _him_ ", she raised her eyebrow at him accusingly. Ron felt a little relieved before his mother's glare suddenly met him. "And I know that Hermione spent the night in _your_ room last night, Ronald", she said more sternly. Ron hated it when she called him 'Ronald'. He knew it meant he was in big trouble. Ron looked down at the table shamefully as he waited anxiously for her to continue. "You've all been through such a difficult time and I understand that more than you know. All I ask is that – you're honest with me", she said. Ron suddenly lifted his head up, looking at Harry completely perplexed by his mother's words. Harry looked just as clueless. "Ron", she said, suddenly putting her hand on top of his. "You're not Charlie. _Neither_ of you are", she said, placing her hand on top of Harry's as well. "I know that neither of you have _ulterior motives_ with the girls", she told them awkwardly. Ron couldn't help but shudder at the thought of what she meant by that sentence. "But do **not** lie to me", she told them fiercely as she squeezed their hands slightly.

"Sorry, mum", Ron said quietly.

"Sorry, Mrs Weasley", Harry echoed his apology.

"Oh, Harry. You've got to stop with that _Mrs Weasley_ nonsense!", she chuckled as she got up from her seat. "You've practically been a part of our family for _8 years_!", she smiled warmly at him. "You'll be pleased to know I had the same chat with the girls before they left this morning", she continued, her back facing them as she pottered around in the kitchen.

"More like bloody _horrified_!", Ron whispered to Harry before finishing his sandwich. Harry nodded in agreement as, he too, began to eat the rest of his breakfast. Ron and Harry had soon finished their breakfast and had gotten up to put their dirty plates in the sink. "So, where is dad?", Ron asked. His father was usually sat at the table when they woke up in the morning, drinking a milky cup of coffee with the Daily Prophet in his lap. Ron couldn't help but notice Harry's awkward glance as he shuffled into the living room rather quickly. His mother sighed as she began to charm the dirty pots and plates to clean themselves.

"I need to talk with you and Ginny later. Well, I need to talk with _all_ of you", she said rather sadly. Ron couldn't understand what she was getting at.

"Why can't you just talk to me now?", Ron pondered.

"Because you _all_ need to hear what I have to say", she said simply before picking up a basket of laundry and heading outside.

"Do you know what that was all about?", Ron asked as he joined Harry in the living room. Harry sighed as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"It's really not my place to say. I might not even be right!", Harry told him. Ron couldn't help but feel completely bewildered by the whole occurrence as he sat down on the sofa. _What were they hiding from him?_

"Right about what? Come on, Harry!", he urged him to tell him more. Harry sighed once more as he sat forward resting his elbows on his knees.

"Hermione thought she heard your parents arguing last night", he told him.

" _Arguing_? Arguing about what?", Ron quizzed further. Harry shrugged his shoulders awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"She could've misheard it though", he suggested. Ron didn't understand what the big problem was. His parents had fought many times before, but never over anything serious. It was usually over his father and he leaving the toilet seat up or a new muggle device Arthur had gotten to work on. Whatever it was, it played on Ron's mind all afternoon. He wondered what on earth they must have argued about for it to result in a family chat. He read a few more chapters of Hermione's book and even deknomed the garden alone in an attempt to clear his thoughts but it was no use. He just had to know what was going on. As he got rid of a final knome, he noticed Hermione and Ginny had returned and quickly ran to the house to ask Hermione what she thought she had heard.

"Hermione!", he called after her before she could make her way inside after Ginny.

"Hello, Ron", she smiled sweetly. How he loved that smile. She had almost made him forget what he was about to say.

"Can we ta-", but before Ron could finish his sentence, his mother had appeared in the door and was smiling solemnly at them.

"Will you two join us in the living room please?", she asked as she disappeared back inside. Hermione gave Ron a confused look before he shrugged at her in response, the pair of them following his mother inside. Hermione and Ginny shared the sofa, looking rather uncomfortable as they waited for Molly to take a seat. Ron could only imagine the embarrassment his mother must have put them through that morning, just as she had done with he and Harry. He sat uncomfortably himself, Harry had taken the old rocking chair to sit on which had left Ron with the small wooden stool which was older than him! Molly got herself comfortable in the old armchair that sat in the corner of the room as she looked between Ginny and Ron. "You've probably noticed that your father wasn't here this morning", she said, as if Ron hadn't repeatedly asked where his father was.

"Sorry, Mrs Weasley – maybe Harry and I should go for a walk?", Hermione suggested politely.

"There's no need, sweetheart. This is just as much yours and Harry's home as it is ours and this affects you too", Molly explained. Hermione nodded as she waited for Molly to continue. She gave a defeated sigh as she ran her fingers through her wispy thinning hair, struggling to find the words to speak. "Your father and I have been having some difficulties lately and he'll be going to stay with William and Fleur for a while", she told them.

"But, aren't Bill and Fleur in France until next week?", Ginny asked.

"Yes. They left your father and I a spare key and we agreed that it'd be best for us to spend some time apart for a little while", she sighed sadly.

"Are you breaking up?", Ron suddenly asked. He couldn't shake the sinking feeling he had begun to feel in his chest. The only time he had spent away from his father is when he was at Hogwarts, he had never spent a single night in the Burrow without _both_ of his parents under the same roof and the thought truly terrified him.

"No. No we're not breaking up, love", she gave her son a watery smile. "Recent events are just – they're taking their toll, that's all", she continued.

"So – when will he be back?", Ginny quizzed further.

"I'm not sure yet, Ginny. He did say you're all welcome to go and visit him whenever you like", Molly replied. Ron suddenly felt a hand press gently against his knee as he looked down to see that it was Hermione as she listened to his mother speak, nodding along with every word she spoke. But Ron couldn't quite handle what was happening. His mother had said it herself; they had already been through so much, and now it had become _too_ much. He suddenly stood up from his seat and headed for the front door. He wasn't sure where he was going or why but with a quick pop, he disapparated as soon as he was out of sight.


	11. Only You

As Ron got up and stormed out of the house, Hermione's immediate reaction was to get up and go after him but as she stood up, she felt Ginny grab her wrist gently, preventing her from moving.

"Give him some time", she said softly. Hermione sighed sadly, giving Ginny a worried look before sitting back down in her seat. Molly sat awkwardly in her armchair as Hermione, Ginny and Harry searched for something, _anything_ , to say. "He'll be alright, mum", Ginny sighed as she got up and sat on the arm of the chair where her mother sat. "You know what a _drama queen_ he is. He'll skim some stones across the lake and be right as rain by tea time!", she tried to reassure her. Molly smiled gratefully at her daughter as she gave her a gentle pat on the knee.

"I better bring in the laundry", Molly suddenly said as she got up out of her seat.

"I'll give you a hand", Ginny offered as she followed her mother out into the Orchard. Hermione and Harry sat in an awkward silence for a moment as Hermione wondered where Ron had gone. She could imagine how he must be feeling. Although Molly had assured them that she and Arthur were not separating, the whole occurrence did seem rather worrying.

"Do you think I should go and look for him?", she suddenly asked Harry as she fiddled helplessly with the ends of her sleeves. "I made that mistake last time, didn't I? I didn't go after him", she sighed as she thought back to the time Ron had stormed out of their tent after his argument with Harry. Harry got up and joined her on the sofa, placing a caring hand on her knee as he sighed.

"This is different, Hermione. I think he needs some time to get his head around things", he told her honestly.

"Do you think we'll ever get back to the way things were, Harry?", she asked.

"The way things were?", Harry echoed. Hermione nodded.

"Normal", she said simply. Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hermione, we were anything _but_ normal!", he laughed. "The battles over now, and you and Ron are more than just friends. Things are going to feel different for a little while, but they'll be alright", he reassured her. Hermione smiled weakly at him as she hoped with everything she had that he was right. Later that evening, Ron still hadn't returned and Hermione had become restless. She had watched Harry and Ginny play a quick game of wizard's chess, read a few more chapters of one of her books and had even attempted to knit! But her mind would not ease. She wandered out into the Orchard for a while, pulling out shards of grass as she sat cross-legged in front of the lake when a small mobile her parents had gotten her began to vibrate in her pocket.

"Hello?", she answered.

"Hello, sweetheart", her mother's chirpy voice replied. "How are you?", she asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. How are you and dad?", she asked in return.

"Oh, we're alright", her mother sighed happily. "I was just calling to ask if we should be expecting you home this evening", she continued. Hermione couldn't help but feel guilty. It had been almost a week since she and her parents had returned from Australia and she had spent less than 48 hours with them. But whilst she felt guilty, she also knew that Ron needed her. The road to recovery was a long one, and she intended to be by his side every step of the way.

"Ron had some more difficult news today", she tried awkwardly to explain, hoping her mother would understand.

"It's alright, love. No need to explain further", her mother replied, sounding just as chirpy as she did before. "Send him our love, won't you?", she said.

"Of course", Hermione smiled warmly.

"Stay safe, Hermione. We love you", her mother said.

"I will. I love you too, give dad a kiss from me", she said before the pair hung up the phone. Hermione put her mobile back in her pocket as she gave a sad sigh. She was grateful that her parents understood that Ron needed her, but she wondered how long their understanding would last. Her main reason for staying at the Burrow was for Ron's sake and that was her choice, but she also dreaded the thought of going home. Not only had she not lived in that house for well over a year, but she was terrified of her parents discovering the true depth of her own damage. Hermione had always been a very brave child; she was never afraid of injections and never had a single nightmare before the age of 11. This was a side to her her parents had never seen. This was a side to her that _nobody_ had ever seen. And she wanted to keep it that way for as long as humanly possible. She also thought that maybe by helping Ron overcome this hurdle she could, somehow, overcome it herself. She soon began to feel tired as the cool summer breeze blew through her bushy locks. Yawning, she wrapped her jacket around her as she made her way back to the Burrow. She said her goodnights to Molly, Ginny and Harry before making her way up to Ron's room, having been given Molly's blessing that morning. On entering Ron's room, she sighed contently, looking around at his belongings. His Chudley Cannons poster hung proudly by his bed and on his side table was a framed newspaper clipping of he and his family from their trip to Egypt and a framed picture of he, Harry and herself in their third year. She felt a little strange about crawling into his bed without him there so after brushing her teeth and getting ready for bed, she got comfortable in Harry's bed, resting her head against her hands as she slowly drifted off to sleep…

 _The floor was cold against her skin as she weakly looked around the room. She knew exactly where she was, and if it was anything like what had already happened to her, she knew she had to get out of there, and fast. But she could barely move. Her whole body felt as though it was being weighed down by steel as she attempted to move. She ached all over as she began to panic, each breath short and sharp as her eyes shifted quickly around the room. And as if out of nowhere, Bellatrix Lestrange was soon hovering over her, the stench of her breath causing Hermione to grimace as she gave her a wicked grin._

 _"What else did you take from my vault?", Bellatrix asked._

 _"I didn't – we didn't take it, I swear!", Hermione pleaded, her eyes swimming with tears. But Bellatrix was convinced she was lying as she stood to her feet, pointing her wand at Hermione._

 _"CRUCIO!", she bellowed. Hermione felt pain like she never had before. It felt as though piping hot fire was coursing through every vein in her body as she screamed at the top of her lungs, writhing around on the floor in excruciating agony. Bellatrix cackled loudly as Hermione continued squirm in torment. As Bellatrix finally lowered her wand, Hermione's body began to settle, her agony soon fading to a dull throb as she attempted to speak. But no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to form any words at all. Everything was blur; the sound of Bellatrix interrogating Griphook was nothing but a distant murmur as Hermione silently cried to herself. All of a sudden, she felt a strong force pulling her hair as she was dragged to her feet. With one hand tangled in her hair, Bellatrix stood Hermione up to face Ron's horrified face. Using her free hand, she held a blade to Hermione's throat, ordering Harry and Ron to drop their wands. The blade was so terrifyingly close to Hermione's skin that she feared she may slit her own throat just by swallowing. Bellatrix began to declare that the Dark Lord would arrive soon when she was suddenly stopped mid-sentence by a creaking noise from above. In a matter of seconds, Hermione had been thrown to the floor and a large glass chandelier had landed on top of her. The weight of the chandelier and the shards of glass that were piercing her skin caused her pain to intensify as she laid there motionless, sobbing heavily as Ron came to her rescue, his panicked expression lead to her sobbing much harder as he freed her from weight of the chandelier._

 _"Hermione", he spoke softly. But, Hermione continued to sob. "Hermione", he spoke again._

... "Hermione!", Ron's panicked voice woke her from her nightmare. Her eyes sprung open in fright, she sat up in bed, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to catch her breath. "It's alright! It's alright", Ron told her as he forced her into his embrace. Hermione allowed herself to collapse into his arms, grabbing a fistful of his t-shirt as she wept. "You're okay, Hermione", he spoke softly as he ran his fingers through her hair. A few short moments later, as Hermione composed herself, Ron had made her a cup of tea and had brought it up for her, sitting beside her on Harry's bed as she slowly took a sip.

"Thank you", she said quietly. Ron sighed sadly at her as she brought her knees up to her chest, placing her tea carefully on the small table beside the bed.

"I'm such an idiot", Ron suddenly said. "I've been so caught up in my own stuff that I didn't even -", he stopped as he sighed once more. "I'm so sorry, Hermione", he apologised.

"You've nothing to be sorry for", she told him. And she sincerely meant it. She didn't expect, nor did she want Ron to fuss over her after everything he had been through himself. Ron wrapped his arm cautiously around her shoulders as he shuffled closer to her. Hermione let herself fall into his embrace once more as the pair settled down on the bed. She wrapped her arm around his waist as she propped her head up against his chest, enjoying the sound of his beating heart as she stared blankly into space.

"Do – do you have nightmares a lot?", he asked. Hermione nodded.

"Some are worse than others", she sighed. Ron's tightened his grip on her slightly as he gently kissed the top of her head.

"Me too", he admitted. Hermione tightened her own grip around his waist as she relaxed under his touch, staring at the faint scars on her bare arm.

"Where did you go? Earlier", she asked sleepily. Hermione's head raised with his chest as he gave a deflated sigh.

"I went to see my dad", he told her.

"How was he?", she asked further.

"Same as he has been for the past few weeks", he told her honestly. "But, I don't want to talk about me. I just wanna lay here with you", he told her. Hermione couldn't help but smile warmly at his words as she slowly began to feel sleepy once again, her nightmares at bay as Ron suddenly reached for his wand. "Accio book", he said. Hermione's book shot out from underneath his pillow and landed in Ron's hand as he flicked through the pages, clearing his throat before he began to read; " _As the weeks went by, I wondered whether the hospital employed such ungracious character deliberately_ ". Hermione was soon sound asleep as she listened to Ron reading to her, just like she had done for him the night before. The next morning, Hermione woke up feeling the most comfortable she had ever felt with Ron's arm still wrapped around her snugly. She looked up at his sleeping face, her book still in his hand as he wriggled his nose. She smiled lovingly at him as she kissed him softly on the cheek. She slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake him before tiptoeing out of the room and making her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and have a shower. Her nightmare from the night before had clearly take its toll; her body ached as she cleaned herself. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed that Ron had been the one to see her like that. She wanted, more than anything, to be strong for him and she felt like she had failed. After her shower, Hermione got changed into some clean clothes before making her way downstairs. Molly had left a note to say she had gone out to have breakfast with Percy and that she would be back later. Hermione was the only one awake in the house. She sighed as she made herself a cup of tea, sitting at the kitchen table and flicking through the Daily Prophet. She was soon disturbed by the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs when Ron, with his hair practically static, dragged his feet into the kitchen, smiling sleepily at her in his orange dressing gown. "Morning", he said, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Good morning", she said sweetly. "The kettles just boiled", she told him as Ron made his way over to the stove.

"Where's mum?", he asked sleepily as he joined her at the table with a cup of tea of his own.

"She went out with Percy", Hermione told him simply as she continued to read the newspaper.

"How are you feeling?", he asked in a soft tone as he suddenly placed his hand on top of hers.

"I'm fine", she smiled, "How are you?". Ron raised his eyebrow at her as she looked at him with a perplexed expression.

"You know what I mean", he told her. Hermione sighed as she closed her newspaper and took a sip of her tea, looking for any excuse to not talk about her nightmare. "I know you want to look after me, Hermione. And you're doing a brilliant job! But – I want to look after you too", he told her, taking her hand within his own. Hermione looked down at her lap, scared of the tears that may fall if she dared to look at him. "This is a two-way street. Let me take care of you", he said softly, the palm of his hand meeting her cheek as she allowed him to catch a few stray tears. Hermione took a hold of his wrist gently, giving him a watery smile as she caressed the back of his hand with her thumb. She adored this side of him, a side of him she rarely saw as they were growing up but, she had decided that was a good thing, as it made these moments all the more special.

"What do you want to do today?", she asked chirply, sniffing as she wiped away her tears. Ron shrugged as he took a sip of his tea.

"Dunno. But, I'm getting sick of staring at the same four walls", he rolled his eyes. Hermione had a sudden idea, an idea she wasn't sure how Ron would take, but an idea she would like to put into practice.

"We could go and visit my parents", she suggested. Ron's eyes noticeably widened as he took another sip of his tea. Clearing his throat, he began to rub the back of his neck nervously.

"You sure you want _me_ to come with you?", he asked awkwardly. Hermione nodded confidently as she took a sip of her own tea. "They'll think I'm a prat", he told her.

"No they won't!", she reassured him. "They have met you before, Ron", she chuckled.

"Yeah, but not as your – not since we – _you know_ ", he babbled. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle. She found it rather sweet that after all this time he was still nervous around her.

"It'll be fine, just be yourself", she told him as she got up from her seat, kissing him on the cheek before disappearing upstairs to get ready. Some hours later, Hermione had texted her mother to let her know they would be visiting and Ron and Hermione stood outside of the Burrow, ready to disapparate. Ron looked absolutely petrified as Hermione took his hands within hers. "Stop looking so worried, Ron. They _already_ like you", she smiled sweetly.

"I hope they still do by the end of the day!", he said dramatically. Hermione giggled softly, giving him a kiss on the cheek before the pair disapparated with a quick pop. They had arrived in an alley way, not too far away from Hermione's family home as Hermione took Ron's hand within hers and lead him towards her house. She could feel his palms beginning to sweat as they approached the front door, warmly greeted by her mother. She held out her arms wide as Hermione let go of Ron's hand to give her mother a hug.

"It's so wonderful to see you, love", she said as she embraced her daughter. Hermione pulled away to let her mother say hello to Ron. "It's lovely to see you again, Ronald", she said sweetly.

"Lovely to see you too, Mrs Granger", Ron replied politely.

"Come in both of you! Your father's just upstairs putting the laundry away", she said as she invited them to follow her inside. It was a strange sensation, Hermione felt like a guest in her own home as both she _and_ Ron sat awkwardly on the sofa. "Tea?", her mother asked. The pair of them nodded before Mrs Granger disappeared into the kitchen. They were soon joined by Mr Granger who boomed down the stairs excitedly. Hermione jumped up out of her seat and greeted her father with a strong and heartfelt hugged. She hadn't quite realised how much she had missed her father's hugs. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, smiling sweetly at her as he took in her very presence.

"I was starting to think we were never going to see you again!", he joked. Hermione gave a chuckle as her father's eyes suddenly met Ron, who shot up out of his seat, standing like a stiff plank of wood as he met her father's gaze. "Good to see you, Ronald", he said, offering Ron his hand to shake.

"Good to see you too, sir", Ron replied politely once more. Hermione couldn't help but let out a little giggle. She had never heard anyone, other than the postman, refer to her father as _sir_. The pair soon sat back down on the sofa, joined by Mr Granger as Mrs Granger brought in a tray of tea.

"So, how are you, love?", her mother asked as she placed the tray on a coffee table in the middle of the room before sitting down in her blue armchair.

"Good, thank you", Hermione replied. She could feel Ron's eyes on her as she lied.

"And how have you been, Ron?", her attention suddenly turned to Ron. Hermione could see the terror in his eyes as he searched for something to say.

"I've been better, but I'm alright. Thank you", he said shyly.

"Ah, yes. We were so sorry to hear about your brother, sweetheart", her mother replied sincerely. Hermione could see Ron getting more uncomfortable by the second at the mention of Fred as she thought of another topic to talk about.

"Did you manage to sort everything out at the dental practice?", she asked. Mrs Granger nodded as she took a sip of her tea.

"They were quite understanding really", her father told her. The four of them spoke general chit-chat for a while as everyone finished their tea. Hermione was happy that Ron had begun to relax as her father had begun to tell him a little bit about the muggle sport, golf.

"So, all you have to do is hit a ball into a hole with a metal stick?", Ron asked. Mr Granger nodded as he grinned, looking quite amused by Ron's lack of knowledge on the sport. "Think I'll have to give that a try!", Ron said excitedly as Hermione chuckled.

"Well, I'll have to take you down to the golf course some time", Mr Granger smiled as Ron nodded eagerly. Hermione's heart melted as Ron and her father continued to bond. The pleasant visit soon ended as Hermione and Ron said their farewells to her parents before heading back to the alley way where they had previously arrived.

"Thank you", she said softly, smiling at him warmly as he looked around to make sure that they were alone.

"For what?", he asked.

"I know you didn't really want to come with me today, but – I'm glad that you did", she told him shyly, blushing as she rubbed her arm awkwardly. Ron suddenly took her hand within his as he kissed her gently on the cheek, leaving Hermione's heart fluttering in her chest.

"I'm glad I did too", he told her before they disapparated back to the Burrow.


	12. Bridge Over Troubled Water

Ginny woke up snugly wrapped in her boyfriend's arms. She couldn't help but giggle as she looked up to find that Harry had, once again, fallen asleep with his glasses on. She shook her head as she carefully took them off of his face and placed them on her bedside table. Sighing contently, she allowed herself to melt into his embrace. The overall smell and feel of him sent warm shivers down her spine as she gazed sleepily at the morning sun peeking through her curtains. She was so happy that her mother had finally agreed to let them sleep in the same room. She only wished that she could stay there forever so she wouldn't have to face the cold harsh reality that would hit her outside of her bedroom. She didn't know how much more she could stand of her mother pretending everything was alright and her father's presence being virtually non-existent. But she had to move on, whether things were going to change further or not. This was her life now and she would have to get used to it, one way or another. She slowly got out of bed, careful not to wake Harry before making her way out and to the bathroom to brush her teeth. She missed not having her father around. It was usually routine that Arthur would bang on the bathroom door, begging Ginny to hurry up so that he could use the toilet. Ginny never thought that she would miss the little things. But, her mother had told them they were not separating, and her mother had stopped keeping things from her a long time ago and so, she had decided to trust her. After brushing her teeth and putting on her favourite white fluffy dressing gown, Ginny made her way downstairs to get some breakfast. Hermione sat at the dining table with her mother, discussing an article they were reading in the Daily Prophet.

"Morning, Ginny", Hermione smiled sweetly as her attention turned to her.

"Good morning, love. Harry still sleeping?", her mother asked. Ginny nodded sleepily as she joined them at the table. "I'll get you some breakfast", Molly smiled before scurrying into the kitchen.

"Did you sleep alright?", Hermione asked.

"Wonderfully", Ginny sighed lovingly.

"Good", Hermione smiled sincerely. "Do you have anything planned for today?", she asked further. Ginny stopped for a moment as she pondered what her next words would be, wondering whether she would be doing anything _at all_ today.

"I think I'm gonna go and see dad", she told her.

"That sounds nice. Send him my love, won't you?", Hermione asked. Ginny nodded as her mother joined them back at the table, placing a full English breakfast in front of her.

"Did I hear you say you're going to see your father today?", Molly asked as Ginny began to tuck into her breakfast. Ginny nodded as she brought a fork-full of baked beans to her lips. "Would you mind taking his mail for me? Errol was supposed to drop it off at Bill's but, you know what he's like – that daft old bird", she said, shaking her head. Ginny nodded her head once more as she continued to eat her breakfast. Ginny had soon finished her morning meal as she began to flick through the Daily Prophet, but it was the same old news; Death eaters being captured all over the country. Aurors injured in tracking down Lord Voldemort's followers. Obituaries commemorating the fallen heroes of the battle. She rolled her eyes as she closed the paper.

"Mum?", she suddenly said. Molly's eyes met hers as she waited for her to continue. "When are _you_ going to see dad?", she asked. Molly sighed as she tapped her fingers against the wooden table.

"I don't know just yet, Ginny dear. Your father and I need our space at the moment", she explained awkwardly.

"Sorry. I just wanted to ask is all", Ginny replied shyly before her mother suddenly placed her hand on top of hers.

"I know, sweetheart. And you're entitled to", she smiled warmly at her daughter. Ginny smiled back at her before checking the time on the clock.

"I better get ready then", she smiled as she got up from the table, taking her plate into the kitchen before making her way upstairs. Ginny got changed out of her pyjamas into some jeans and a grey tank top before entering her room to find her hairbrush. Harry laid in her bed, his arms folded behind his head as he smiled sleepily at her.

"Morning", his voice croaked.

" _Afternoon_ ", Ginny smirked as she rummaged through one of her drawers.

"It's only 10'o'clock!", Harry protested. Ginny rolled her eyes as she chuckled. "You off somewhere?", Harry asked. Ginny nodded as she finally retrieved her brush from its drawer and began brushing he hair as she turned to face him.

"I'm going to see dad", she told him.

"That'll be nice", Harry smiled.

"Why does everyone keep saying it like that?", Ginny asked as she huffed, plaiting her hair and using a small hairband to keep it in place. "They've not broken up or anything", she told him.

"No, I know they haven't – it's just nice that you're seeing your dad is all", Harry told her. Ginny sighed, feeling a little bit stupid for having said what she had in the first place.

"Sorry. It's all just a little bit strange, you know?", she said. Harry nodded as he got up out of bed, putting his glasses on before making his way towards her. He pressed his lips firmly against hers as he snaked his arms around her waist.

"It's going to be fine", he spoke softly, their noses touching as he looked her deep in the eyes. "You know that, right?", he asked. Ginny nodded before kissing the tip of his nose and sighing.

"Now – if you've done being mushy, I need to get going", she smirked as she cheekily slapped him on his behind. "Love you!", she called as she left her bedroom. She knew her mother hated it when Ginny apparated before she'd even graduated from Hogwarts but she decided she didn't really care much as she vanished mid-staircase with a quick pop. She quickly found herself stood right outside the front door of Bill and Fleur's house as she spotted her father sitting in an armchair through the front room window and decided to let herself in. "Dad?", she called as she closed the door behind her.

"Ginny? What a lovely surprise!", her father smiled as he greeted her in the hallway, wrapping his arms firmly around his shoulders. Ginny tried her best to return the hug but Arthur had restricted her arms from much movement. "What are you doing here?", he asked. Ginny couldn't help but look a little bewildered at his sudden questioning. Did she really need a reason to go and visit her father?

"Just wanted to say hello", she told him simply as he welcomed her into the living room. "Are Bill and Fleur not back yet?", she asked as she took a seat on a rather comfortable looking two-seater sofa. Arthur shook his head as he sat back down in the old armchair by the window, pouring himself and Ginny a cup of tea.

"They'll be home tomorrow afternoon", he told her before handing her a small china cup and saucer. Ginny suddenly began to feel a little nervous as she thought about what she wanted her next words to be. But he was her father, and surely, she should be able to ask him anything she wanted without fear or worry like she always had done. Why was _this_ any different?

"Does that mean _you'll_ be coming home too?", she finally asked. Arthur's eyes widened ever so slightly as he took a sip of his tea and she knew she had taken him by surprise. She instantly regretted asking the question at all as she began to drink her own tea. But she watched her father as his surprised eyes had soften and his face now held a much more vacant expression, and it was almost as if Ginny herself could feel his sadness. And as her father continued to sit in an awkwardly sad silence, she suddenly began to think about all the times she had opened up to Harry, and Ron, and Hermione and how good it had made her feel and how her father had been in this house all on his own for the past couple of days and she decided that she would be his person to turn to. "Talk to me, dad", she suddenly said as she shuffled to the end of her seat. "Please", she sighed. Arthur sighed in reply as he sat forward himself, placing his cup on the small coffee table in front of him and joining his hands as he prepared to speak.

"Your mother is the strongest person I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I reckon that's where you get it from", he chuckled softly as Ginny blushed, playing with the end of her plait nervously. "We've been through so much together over the years – a quick wedding, two wars, seven children", he sighed sadly. "As strong as she is – there are times when we need to let our emotions do their job", he continued. Ginny stared at him, utterly perplexed as she sat in silence, willing him to continue. "When you – losing a child is like – it's like losing a part of yourself", he tried his best to explain as he tripped over his own words. Ginny could feel her heart becoming heavier in her chest as she listened on to her father's broken voice. "Of course, we've been to hell and back, your mother and I, but – nothing can _ever_ prepare you for that", he told her honestly, a single tear rolling down his cheek as he looked at her. Arthur had always been a man that wasn't afraid to get in touch with his emotions, but Ginny had never seen this side of him. The pain in his eyes was undeniable now. Their once bright blue colour had now faded to a cold murky grey as he allowed another stray tear to escape. She suddenly got up out of her seat and made her way over to the arm of his chair. She placed her hand caringly against his back, letting him know that she was there and that it was okay. He had been the one to come running into her bedroom when she had been screaming from her nightmares and comforted her when she needed him. Now, it was her turn to be there for him.

"Maybe, you and mum need to deal with things in your own ways", she told him. "You can still be there for each other without dictating how the other person choses to grieve", she said. Merlin, she felt stupid. She wasn't even sure if that was even the problem! And she fully expected him to turn around at any moment and laugh at her suggestion. But instead, he had suddenly placed his hand on her knee as he looked up at her, smiling ever so slightly.

"You're right", he told her as he gave her knee a gentle squeeze. Ginny fought back the urge to ask 'Am I?' as she smiled warmly at him. "Sometimes, I forget that you've grown up", he continued. "I'm supposed to be the one that makes _you_ feel better", he chuckled as he shook his head.

"You _do_ make me feel better. All the time actually", she told him honestly. "I never really realised that until you left. And that's another reason why you should come home", she continued as she draped her arm around his shoulder, resting her head against the top of his as he reached up to gently squeeze her shoulder in return.

"Let me get my things", he almost whispered before getting up and disappearing out of the living room. A few short moments later, Arthur had returned with a bag full of his belongings and had begun to write a note to leave behind for Bill and Fleur before joining hands with his daughter and disapparating home. Her mother's reaction was just as she expected as she walked through the door, closely followed by her father. Molly stood motionless as she stared at Arthur in the doorway, Ginny thought that was the first time she had ever seen her mother at a loss for words.

"I'm going to see if Harry wants to go for a walk", she said as she made her way upstairs, leaving her parents to talk. Her earlier conversation with her father had somehow lifted some of the weight on her own shoulders as she sighed contently, making her way into her bedroom. Harry sat cross-legged on her bed with the Daily Prophet laid out in front of him, looking deep in thought. "You'll drive yourself mad reading through that thing, you know", she interrupted him as she smirked, closing the door behind her. Harry jumped a little as he looked up at her, smiling warmly at her as she began to untangle her hair from it's neat plait.

"How did things go with your dad?", he asked.

"Well, he's downstairs talking to mum as we speak, so I think it went well", she smiled warmly.

"That's great, Ginny", Harry smiled sincerely at her.

"I was wondering if you fancied going for a walk or something?", she asked.

"Well, what's the _something_?", Harry smirked. Ginny rolled her eyes as she chuckled.

"Do you want to go for a walk or not?", she asked again.

"I'll grab my coat", he smiled as he got up and retrieved his blue sports jacket from a lonely hook that had been screwed into her wall. The pair made their way downstairs, hand in hand, making their way silently past the living room where her parents were talking and outside into the Orchard. Her favourite thing about home was the Orchard and how endless and wonderful it seemed. They would never need to go too far from the Burrow when they went on their walks, the possibilities of where they could explore were never-ending. "Ginny", Harry suddenly spoke, pulling her from her thoughts as they came to a stop. "I hope you don't mind me saying so, but – you seem so much better today", he smiled warmly.

"I _feel_ a lot better today", she told him honestly. Ginny slowly began to move her head closer to his before the pair joined lips. The feel of Harry against her mouth was enough to drive her wild. A million and one thoughts ran through her mind as he allowed his hand to get lost in her hair. She thought of the huge crush she had on him as a child and how much she loved him right there and then, and how he made her feel things she never believed were possible. She had always told herself that loving someone this much was nothing but a cliché, but she had more than proved herself wrong. Everything they had gone through suddenly seemed worth it after all, to be stood there. To be a part of that moment and to be able to call him hers.


	13. Love Me Like You Do

**WARNING! Mature Content.**

* * *

George laid on top of his duvet in nothing but his navy-blue boxer shorts as he stared at a sleeping Angelina, who laid completely bare underneath his duvet. He thought it weird how normal this had begun to feel to him as he continued to watch her sleeping soundly. A week ago, George felt totally different about the whole affair…

George quickly sat up on the edge of the bed, speedily sliding his legs back into his jeans as he helplessly searched for his shirt that Angelina had thrown across the room an hour before. He was sweating, and not how he had been sweating moments before. Now he was sweating with guilt, shame, cowardice.

"George? What are you doing?", Angelina asked. She laid on her side, covering her still naked body with a thin sheet as she watched him buttoning up his shirt at lightning speed.

"I – I'm sorry. I don't – I don't know what came over me", he stuttered as began to buckle his belt.

"Don't be sorry", she told him. "I – I wanted to", she continued shyly. But George didn't respond. Instead, he ran his fingers through his hair, wondering when he had managed to kick his own socks off and where on earth he had kicked them. "George", Angelina spoke sternly, causing George to stop in his tracks. He was surprised at himself. There was usually only one woman on this planet whose stern voice could make him stand to attention, and that was his mother! "Didn't you hear me? I said I _wanted_ to", she repeated as she sat up, still covering herself quite casually with his bed sheet.

"So did I. Doesn't make it right", he said quietly, almost hoping she hadn't heard him.

" _Make it right?_ We haven't done anything wrong", she told him. George began to grow hot at her ignorance. How could she think what they had just gotten up to was anything _but_ wrong! "We're both adults, George and -"

"But you're _Fred's_ girl! You belong to Fred", he cut her off midsentence, bellowing in frustration. Angelina sat with a vacant expression on her face as she waited for him to calm down.

"Firstly; I don't _belong_ to **anyone**!", she said through gritted teeth. "And secondly; I haven't been _Fred's girl_ for a very long time", she sighed. George sighed himself as he sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that", he said sincerely. "It's just – don't you feel bad?", he asked as he turned his full body to face her. "Doesn't it make you feel guilty? Jumping into bed with your ex-boyfriend's brother?", he continued. Angelina didn't answer as she looked at him with a blank expression. "And I just – I can't help but feel like you're only here right now because – because I'm Fred's -", he stopped struggling to finish his sentence as he sighed sadly once more. Angelina carefully shuffled towards him, still covering herself as she placed a caring hand on his knee.

"Why on earth would you ever think that?", she asked him genuinely. When George didn't respond, Angelina took his face in her hands, not caring that her sheet had slipped a little, revealing the top curves of her bulging bosom. "George, I'm here because I – I care about you. I always have. Not always in _this_ way, but I've cared for as long as I can remember. About _both_ of you", she explained. "But, me and Fred – it just didn't work. I'm sure you know that", she continued. George gave a small nod in response. "I don't know. There's – there's just something more about you", she spoke softly as she caressed his cheek with her fingertips. "One of the things Fred said to me when we decided to break up was that he thought I was more _your_ type anyway and I didn't really understand but – I'm slowly starting to see why", she finished in almost a whisper. George looked deep into her eyes, not sure of what to say next but all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let her go. He had never realised what a constant presence she had been in his life until this moment. Had it always been her? And was he just too blind to see it? _Fred was right_ , he thought. She _was_ more his type. The pair of them were always just as equally boisterous, but Fred much more so than he, and it was a quality he didn't just see in himself, but in Angelina too. Without a second thought, he had crashed his lips into hers, lowering her back down onto the bed as he hovered over her, tracing hungry kisses across her collar bone as she ran her fingers through his hair. He began to use one hand to rid himself of his jeans as his other hand fitted perfectly against her bare breast. Feeling her nipple against the palm of his hand did things to George that he didn't believe were possible as he began to gently massage her swollen teat. Finally ridding himself of his trousers, George began to wrestle with his boxer shorts as Angelina lustfully unbuttoned his shirt, their lips never parting as she ran her fingernails down his back. George thought he might explode at any moment as he rid her of the sheet that she had covered herself with, revealing her bare body. He threw his boxer shorts across the room as he lifted her leg over his shoulder, kissing her inner thigh fervently as she groaned with pleasure. Her fingers were, once again, lost in his hair as he traced lustful kisses all the way up to her chest, quickly meeting her lips for one final kiss before entering her. Angelina shrieked out in pleasure as George began to pump in and out of her folds. The feel of her around him was unlike anything he had ever felt in his life as he cradled her jaw in his hands. She had desperately tried to meet his lips with her own, but the immensity of what he was doing to her was just too much as she dug her fingernails into his lower back, willing him to drive deeper as she called out his name breathlessly. He granted her request, using every ounce of energy he had to send every nerve in her body into insanity. Her legs now wrapped firmly around his waist, she snaked her arms around his neck, hanging onto him desperately as her bare chest met his, his breaths now quick and sharp as he grunted with pleasure himself. George began to feel that wonderful knotty-feeling right in the pit of his stomach as he thrusted into her one final time, spilling inside her as he collapsed on top of her, the pair of them fighting for their breaths as Angelina ran her fingers lazily through his hair. George, still inside her, lifted his head up to look at her, sweat glistening from her forehead as she smiled warmly at him.

"You alright?", he asked breathlessly.

"I'm fantastic", she gave a breathy chuckle. George smiled brightly at her before kissing her much more gently than he had been previously…

George smiled warmly at her as her upper lip began to twitch in her sleep. He had never taken the time to truly appreciate just how beautiful she was. Her skin was the softest surface he had ever touched in his life, as if it were made from the finest of silk. The whole week had been a bit of a blur and this was the first moment George had gotten to himself since that first night she had given herself to him. He hadn't opened the shop in a week and Angelina had insisted to her parents that he needed her help and had to stay there. He knew his mother was growing concerned as he found cartons of fresh food on his doorstep every day with a note requesting that he let her know that he was okay. He knew he should get in touch, but he was enjoying this new turn of events far too much to care about anyone else in the outside world. His week with Angelina had felt like one big dream, from which he never wanted to wake.

"You're doing it again", her sleepy voice pulled him from his thoughts. Although he had been looking directly at her, he was too lost in his own head to even notice that her dark brown eyes had flickered open.

"Doing what?", he answered nonchalantly.

"Watching me sleep", she rolled her eyes as she sat up in bed. "Weirdo", she teased.

"Can't help it. It's the quietest I've ever seen you", he smirked. Angelina playfully slapped him on his upper arm before taking one of his old t-shirts off of the floor and putting it on. George had to stifle a laugh as he admired her in his baggy t-shirt that barely clung to her small frame.

"Well, there's no point getting dressed", she winked as she strutted out of his room and into the kitchen. George put on a pair of clean boxer shorts before getting up to follow her.

"Are you not _sore_?", he asked. Angelina shook her head as she placed a copper kettle on the stove.

"Why? Am I too much for you, Weasley?", she smirked seductively.

"Pfft", George laughed. "Course not. Just didn't want to be too much for _you_ is all", he raised his eyebrow at her. Angelina chuckled as she began to make them both a cup of tea, handing him his in one of Ron's old Chudley Cannons mug.

"On a serious note; there _is_ a world outside of this flat, you know?", she said. George sighed as he took a sip of his tea, scratching the back of his neck as he stared down at his bare feet.

"I know. It's – it's just been nice not thinking about it for a while", he admitted.

"I know", she sighed herself as she sipped her own tea. "But, we have each other now. Not that you never had me anyway", she said sweetly as she stood directly in front of him, placing her tea on the counter beside him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. George smiled brightly before allowing his lips to meet hers, placing his own tea down on the counter so that he could wrap his arms firmly around her waist. He could've sworn he had heard the downstairs door opening, but he had decided it was all in his head as he moved his lips hungrily against hers, allowing his hands to roam underneath the old t-shirt that she wore and across her bare back. Suddenly, the front door to his flat creaked open and George's eyes shot open, his lips still firmly pressed against Angelina's, as he spotted a stunned Ginny standing motionless in the doorway.

"Oh Merlin!", she called out in horror, quickly covering her eyes with both hands. "I'm – I'm sorry. I didn't mean to – mum wanted me to check on you. She – she gave me Fred's old key", Ginny tripped over her own words nervously, her hands still covering her eyes for dear life. George could feel himself turning a bright shade of red as he looked down at Angelina who looked as equally embarrassed. Angelina awkwardly cleared her throat, releasing George from her embrace.

"I'm gonna go get dressed", she said quickly before rushing to George's bedroom and shutting the door behind her. George took some trousers from a nearby laundry basket, putting them on quickly before grabbing an old jacket that hung on the wall and covering his upper body with it.

"You can look now", he said. Ginny peeked through her fingers before fully uncovering her eyes. George had seen his little sister in many states of emotion, but embarrassment was a new one to him.

"Is this what you've been doing all -?", she stopped, unable to finish her sentence. "Actually, don't answer that. Mum'll just be glad to know you're alive!", she told him as she turned on her heel to leave.

"Ginny, wait!", he stopped her. "I'm sorry I haven't been in touch. I've been figuring things out", he told her. Ginny raised her eyebrow suspiciously at him, eying all of the clothes that had been strewn across the floor of his flat. "It's complicated", he sighed. Ginny chuckled softly as she shook her head.

"It's alright. You don't need to explain", she told him. "Just – make sure you let mum know you're alright next time", she continued. George nodded in response as he forced a smile. An awkward silence filled the air as the pair of them stood motionless. "I'll get going then. Come for tea later?", she asked. George nodded once more. "You should bring Angelina with you", Ginny suddenly suggested, taking him by surprise.

"Why?", he asked.

"You seem a lot happier. I think mum would like that", she smiled warmly before giving him a small wave and leaving, closing the door behind her. On hearing the door close, Angelina, who hadn't gotten changed at all, dared to peek her head around George's bedroom door.

"Has she gone?", she asked. George laughed as he nodded. Angelina gave a sigh of relief as she joined him back in the kitchen. "I'm never going to be able to look her in the eye again", she said, pinching the skin between her eyebrows as she recalled the awkward moment.

"Well, you're going to have to get over that pretty soon", he told her as he put the jacket he had covered himself with back on its hook. Angelina raised her eyebrow suspiciously at him as she waited for him to continue. "You've been invited for tea", he told her casually.

"What? Are you sure you want me to?", she asked. George smiled warmly as he walked towards her, taking her hand within his own as he softly caressed her knuckles with his thumb.

"Well, I need to formally introduce you to my parents", he told her simply.

"But – I've met your parents before, George", she chuckled.

"Not as my _girlfriend_ you haven't", he raised his eyebrow back at her. "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't take you to have an awkward dinner with my family?", he asked. Angelina chuckled before kissing him full on the mouth, her flat palm on his waist as he allowed his fingers to get lost in her hair. "Reckon, we've got time?", he asked suggestively.

"We've got all the time in the world", Angelina smiled, their lips coming together once more as George lead her back into his bedroom to make love once again.


	14. Love Me Harder

**MATURE CONTENT WARNING!**

* * *

Harry was nose deep in one of Hermione's muggle books when Molly called them all down for tea, and the sight downstairs was one that truly warmed his heart. Arthur sat at the head of the table, laughing and telling stories as Hermione and Ginny listened intently, Ron sat waiting for his meal, his knife and fork at the ready as he waited patiently, and George had brought Angelina along with him and they were laughing and whispering in each other's ear, looking very cosy. There was something different about George that Harry couldn't quite put his finger on, but it was nice to see him so cheerful. Harry joined the Weasleys and their guests at the table as Molly charmed plates of food to hover in and land carefully on the table.

"Tuck in!", she said as she joined them. This family dinner had felt different to the ones they had had recently, Harry thought. The atmosphere had changed and everyone seemed to be a little more content as Harry looked around at them all, coming to a stop when his eyes met Ginny. Her smile was so bright that it could take on the sun as she continued to laugh with her father. She had truly begun to make progress from the blubbering wreck she had been but mere weeks before and Harry was so proud of how far she had come. He knew how hard it had been for Ginny to let go of her emotions and let them do what they were supposed to and he was happy that she had finally done it and that she had allowed herself to be found again. He had decided there and then that he wanted to do something for her, something to show her just how proud he was, when it hit him. As the family finished their meal, Harry excused himself so that he could run upstairs to Ginny's room. He gathered some things, putting them in a woven picnic basket before leaving Ginny a note and heading back downstairs and out into the Orchard. Harry walked far, much further than he usually would before finding a nice spot just on the other side of the lake. The Burrow was nothing but a distant silhouette in this spot, and the night sky was so clear that Harry could've sworn he could count every single star in the sky. He took an old red-tartan blanket from the basket and laid it out across the grass before taking out another blanket and folding it neatly, placing it by his side in case they got cold. He then took out two glass tumblers and placed them carefully on the floor before taking out some old jars that had tealight candles in them and lighting them up, placing them around the blanket on the floor when he heard footsteps approaching.

"What's all this?", Ginny's voice spoke softly as he looked up to find her looking around at the romantic setting he had created.

"I wanted to do something special for you", he said, patting the empty space beside him and inviting her to sit down. As she sat down beside him, he handed her an empty tumbler before taking a bottle of muggle champagne out of the picnic basket and filling her glass. "This was supposed to be for Bill and Fleur's wedding but – well, I never got around to giving it to them", he told her as she took a sip.

"Wow", she gasped. "This is amazing", she told him as she took another sip. Harry filled his own glass before taking a drink himself. The pair chatted casually for a while as they continued to drink their champagne before they laid down together. They laid flat on their backs so that they could look up at the stars above, Harry had his arm wrapped snugly around Ginny's shoulders as they looked up into the night sky. "I can see Orion's belt!", Ginny told him as she pointed at a row of three bright stars.

"Whose _Orion_?", Harry asked.

"He was a hunter in Greek mythology", Ginny chuckled. "Did you _ever_ listen to Professor Sinistra during Astronomy?", she asked.

"Not really. Always had other things on my mind", Harry shrugged. Ginny chuckled as she pointed to the sky once more.

"Look, see? You can see his shield, just to the right", she told him.

"I think I see it!", Harry said excitedly as he squinted slightly, trying to make out the figure in the sky. Harry gave a breathy chuckle to himself as he thought about how lucky he actually was. This beautiful, smart, funny girl laid in his arms, and she was all his. And he wondered how he could ever live his life without her.

"What are you thinking?", she suddenly asked, looking up at him. Her hazel eyes were full of wonder as she looked at him with nothing but pure affection.

"About you actually. And how amazing you are", he told her honestly.

"Well, I _am_ pretty great", she joked. "After all, I am the Chosen One's chosen one", she winked. Harry rolled his eyes, smiling brightly before turning on his side, pulling her closer until their lips locked. The feel of her against him was something Harry was still getting used to as she reached up to run her fingers through his hair. The kiss was small at first, as Harry dared to put his hand against her bare hip where her top had ridden up slightly, but it quickly grew intense as Ginny parted his legs, using her knee, so that half of her body rested against his. And in that moment; Harry finally felt like they were ready. He laid back down on his back, bringing her with him so that her whole body was on top of his. Her thigh was dangerously close to his hardening length as she kissed him hungrily, but he didn't care. Not this time. He wanted her to feel what she did to him. He wanted her to know that he was completely in awe of her. And then, Harry jumped a little as he suddenly felt Ginny's hand against his growing bulge. He willed himself to stay calm as he ran his flat palm up and down her back, cradling her jaw with his other hand as he continued to kiss her, his lips moving gently against hers, but firm at the same time as she tightened her thighs around his leg. She wanted him too. He found it rather remarkable that she didn't have to utter a single word. Sometimes, he thought he knew her better than he knew himself. Ginny pulled her lips from his, straddling him as she took off her royal-yellow top and threw it so it joined the folded blanket nearby. She wore a small pink-lace bra, a colour Harry thought he would never see her in. Ginny hovered back over him once more as he suddenly reached for his wand in his pocket.

"Wait", he said. Ginny raised her eyebrow suspiciously at him before softening her gaze when he began to mutter the contraception charm under his breath, a charm he honestly believed he would never use this soon. Harry dropped his wand as he placed his hand against the nape of her neck, pulling her towards him gently so that their lips could meet once more. Without parting lips, Harry carefully rolled over so that he was, instead, hovering over Ginny, his knee now in between _her_ legs. He could feel the warmth of her against his knee as he allowed his hand to venture up her skirt. The lace of her knickers against his fingertips drove him, unexpectedly, wild as he hooked his index finger inside them, pulling them smoothly over her legs until she was completely free of them. As he continued to move his mouth longingly against hers, Harry thought about what his next move should be. He and the boys he had shared his Gryffindor dorm room with had had countless late-night conversations about possible situations like this, but Harry cringed at the thought as Ron had always been a part of these conversations and the last thing he wanted to think about now was his girlfriend's brother. Deciding to let instinct take control, Harry carefully rubbed the tips of two of his fingers against her centre, causing her to gasp with pleasant surprise. Harry continued to massage her swollen mound as she proceeded to let out whimpers of pleasure, her sharp, hot breaths causing Harry's glasses to steam up a little. Harry dared to slide his two fingers inside her, causing her to dig her nails into his shoulder as she bit her bottom lip. He began pumping in and out of her as gently as was possible, taking in the sensation of her inner muscles pulsating against his fingers. He had wanted to show her what she did to him, but he had never thought about what he did to her. It had taken Harry a lot longer to come to his senses, but Ginny knew they were meant to be from the moment they had met. And as he continued to pleasure her, he couldn't help but wonder how long she had wanted this? If she had imagined them together? And if she had; what would they do? He longed to know her deepest fantasies so that he could fulfil them for her. As he had told her once before; she deserved the world, and he would give it to her in any way possible. Harry suddenly felt Ginny's shaky hand against his wrist, stopping his pumping fingers as he looked deep into her eyes. Ginny looked back at him, her hazel eyes ripping into his soul. They were full of wonder and longing as she fought for her breath, sweat glistening from her forehead. "Are you sure?", he asked in almost a whisper, the intensity of the moment causing him to fight for his own breath. Ginny nodded confidently and with her permission, Harry began to unbutton his jeans, revealing the elastic of his boxer shorts. Before he had even had a chance to take off his trousers, Ginny had snaked her cool hand down into his boxer shorts, taking his member in her hand as she softly caressed his skin with her nimble and delicate fingertips. Harry could barely contain his own groans of pleasure as he crashed his lips into hers with such force that he thought he might have knocked out all the wind from her lungs. Her grip on him tightened ever so slightly as he traced lustful kisses across her collarbone and down to her cleavage. He had become very aware of the beat of his own heart as he pressed his ear against Ginny's chest, listening to her heart beat so rapidly that he thought it might burst at any second. Every sensation he thought he knew well was suddenly proven wrong as he struggled to contain himself any longer. Harry pushed down his trousers, kicking off his shoes at the same time, until he was in nothing but his boxer shorts and t-shirt. Ginny took back her hand, running her fingers through his hair as she gazed at him longingly. Harry freed himself from his boxer shorts, pushing them down past his knees, and without a second thought he entered her. Ginny hissed as he pushed as deep as he could without hurting her. "Are you alright?", he whispered in concern. Ginny bit her lip as she nodded her head eagerly.

"Keep going", she told him breathlessly, almost begging. At her request, Harry began to thrust in and out of her sex. She felt much wetter than she had done previously, which made it easier for Harry to pick up his pace as he began to build up a rhythm. He couldn't quite believe what was happening as Ginny hooked one leg over his arm, begging him to go deeper. She began to roam her hands across his lower back until they met his buttocks, digging her nails into his bare skin as she moaned in utter ecstasy. Sweat dripped from Harry's forehead as he continued to surge in and out of her folds, unable to contain his own groans of desperation as he ducked his head down just enough to meet her lips, kissing her so tenderly that he felt her breathless moans in his mouth. He begun to feel a fire pooling in his lower abdomen as he continued to thrust into her when, as if out of know where, his whole body shuddered as he slammed into her entrance one final time, spilling into her as the sensation sent shockwaves through every nerve in his body.

" _Fuck_ ", he exhaled heavily, exiting her and lowering himself down on top of her carefully, his head rising and falling with her heaving chest. "I – I love you, Ginny", he said, catching his breath as she ran her fingers through his messy hair.

"I love you more", she replied in almost a whisper.

"Not possible", he fought as he grabbed the nearby blanket, covering them both with it as Ginny continued to massage his scalp with her fingertips.


	15. Us Against The World

Hermione had decided to stay at her parents for the night, and Ron felt restless. This was the first time he had had his bedroom to himself since he couldn't even remember, and he hated it. There was no Harry to ramble on at and there was no Hermione to cuddle up close to. He was completely alone with his thoughts. But, instead of the usual thoughts of terror and flashbacks that resembled nightmares, he found himself thinking about how his life had changed for the better. He thought about what the future held for him now he was practically a grown man with a girlfriend. Would he and Hermione marry someday? How would he propose to her? Maybe in a library, he thought. Would they have children? And how many would they have? Ron liked the idea of having two children. And which career path would he take? He could own his own shop like his brothers. Or maybe get a Ministry job like his father. He could even consider caring for magical creatures like Charlie. But then again, that could include spiders and the very thought made Ron shudder. Ron had never given his future any proper thought like this before and it had left him in sleepless excitement as he tossed and turned in his bed, his eyes closed yet he was wide awake. What career _would_ Ron pursue? Now that his final year at Hogwarts had passed, even though he hadn't actually attended his seventh year, what would he do now? After what felt like endless hours of uninterrupted thought, Ron finally fell asleep, the prospect of his future career weighing heavy on his mind. The next morning, Ron awoke feeling like he hadn't slept at all. The sun almost blinded him as he squinted at the space around him. He rubbed his eyes gently as he sat up in bed. His eyes began to readjust themselves as he found Hermione perched on the end of his bed, smiling warmly at him.

"Good morning", she said softly.

"Morning", he croaked. "What are you doing here so early?", he asked as he flattened his wayward hair.

"Mum and dad had work so there wasn't much point hanging around", she told him simply. "Did you sleep well?", she questioned. Ron held out a flat palm and tilted it from side to side in a 'so-so' gesture. Hermione willed him to continue, giving him a slightly puzzled look.

"Had a lot on my mind, I guess", he sighed awkwardly as he swung his long, pale legs out of bed and allowed his feet to meet the cold, wooden floor.

"Do you want to talk about it?", Hermione offered. This had not been the first time Hermione had asked Ron that question, and before, his heart would usually beat so fast that Ron was sure it was about to burst out of his chest, but this time, he felt different. He _wanted_ to discuss this with her. Who better to talk to about career options than Hermione?

"Well, it's just – I've been thinking a lot about what to do now – now, you know – Voldemort's gone and stuff", he tried to explain clumsily. _You absolute pillock_ , he thought to himself. He recognised the look on her face as she furrowed her brow at him; she had absolutely no idea what he was trying to say. Ron gave a frustrated sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, seventh years over. I've got to think about getting a job now, haven't I?", he finally managed to string a sentence together. "Doubt I'll have much luck though, seeing as I don't have a single N.E.W.T to my name", he sighed.

"That's not necessarily true", she suddenly told him. Now Ron was returning her confused stare. How could it be _un_ true? He really didn't have a single N.E.W.T to his name, and neither did she nor Harry. Hermione suddenly sighed as she turned her body to face him properly, crossing her legs on his bed as she pushed a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. "I've been meaning to talk to you about this actually", she told him. Ron willed her to continue as he crossed his own legs, getting comfortable as he anxiously waited for her to continue. "I've been writing to Professor McGonagall. She was going to discuss it with you and Harry as well, but, I might as well tell you now that it's been brought up -"

" _Brought up_? I haven't mentioned McGonagall", Ron cut her off, utterly bewildered by where she was going with this conversation. Hermione sighed as she pinched the skin between her eyebrows in frustration. Ron knew she did this when she was annoyed, but he couldn't help but find it a little _sexy_.

"She's arranging for me to be able to retake my final year", she told him. "She says she would be able to do the same for you and Harry if you wanted to", she finished. Ron was speechless. He hadn't explored the possibility of being able to retake his seventh year. He had often thought that he would have rather spent his final year at Hogwarts rather than on the run, but that had been nothing more than a fleeting feeling. "Is that something you'd want to do?", Hermione asked, pulling him from his thoughts.

"I – I don't know. Hadn't really thought of that", he told her honestly.

"Well, we could talk to the Professor together if you like? It wouldn't be anything definite, she'll just talk us through what would happen", she suggested. Ron nodded as he smiled slightly. What would be the harm in exploring one option? He thought it would be a lot easier than figuring out if it would be even at all possible for him to impulsively open a shop like Fred and George had done. But, his smile soon faded as a sudden thought came to him. Is this what Hermione was going to do?

"Are you doing it?", he asked shyly. Hermione raised her eyebrow at him in confusion. "Retaking your final year?", he asked more clearly. Hermione nodded as she pushed the same strand of hair from before back behind her ear.

"I was going to tell you. I just wanted to be sure that it was possible before I told _anyone_ ", she explained. Ron gave a small nod as he smiled weakly. Of course she wanted to retake her final year. Why _wouldn't_ she? It would be completely out of character if she didn't. But the thought of being without her left a horrible feeling in the pit of Ron's stomach. If he didn't go with her; how often would they see one another? Would she fall for someone else in his absence? He wouldn't blame her if she did, he knew she could do a lot better than a prat like him. So, without confirming it aloud, Ron had decided that he would return to Hogwarts. A life without Hermione as his girlfriend would be a life not worth thinking about. "I'm going to ask your mum if she'd mind flooing Professor McGonagall and arranging for us to meet her today, if that's alright?", she asked. Ron nodded as she grinned brightly at him before getting up and kissing him on the cheek. She strutted towards his bedroom door as she stopped and turned to face him once more. "Your mother's getting breakfast ready by the way", she smiled warmly before disappearing. After having a wash and getting dressed, Ron made his way downstairs. His father sat with the Daily Prophet in his lap, enjoying a cup of tea when he looked up and smiled warmly at his son.

"Morning, Ron", he said chirpily. "Your mum's left some bacon in the pan for you", he told him. Ron smiled sleepily before dragging his feet into the kitchen to make himself a bacon sandwich. "I hear you're going to see Professor McGonagall today?", his father quizzed as Ron sat down across from him. He nodded as he took a hefty bite out of his sandwich. "I think it's absolutely brilliant that you want to go back to Hogwarts after everything you've been through this year", his father smiled proudly. Ron smiled as he swallowed nervously.

"Well, it's just a talk – today, I mean. Just to see what happens", he told him before taking another bite of his sandwich.

"I see. Is Harry going with you?", his father asked further.

"Don't fink soh", Ron replied with a mouthful of food.

"Well, whatever you decide to do – you're going to be absolutely fine, son", his father smiled before returning to his newspaper. Ron smiled sincerely at his father. Maybe he _would_ be alright. And maybe going back to Hogwarts and getting his N.E.W.T.s would be the best thing for him to do; he knew the world would be his oyster if he had a few N.E.W.T.s under his belt.

"Good morning, sweetheart", his mother pulled him from his thoughts, smiling warmly as she kissed the top of his head. "I've just spoken to Professor McGonagall and she's going to be meeting you and Hermione in the Leaky Cauldron at 11:30 so you best get a move on", she told him as she took a seat beside him.

"Alright. Where's Hermione?", he asked.

"She went to ask Harry if he'd like to join you", his mother told him. Ron gave a nod of acknowledgment as he took a final bite out of his sandwich.

"Beft get ready", he said with a mouthful of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, Ron", his mother rolled her eyes. Ron swallowed his food quickly as he got up from the table.

"Sorry", he apologised as he took his plate into the kitchen. He began to make his way up the stairs when he bumped into Hermione, who looked a little flustered. "Hey, are you alright?", he asked, taking her by the shoulders as his concern grew.

"I just went to speak to Harry is all. He's not going to come with us", she told him.

"Really?", Ron asked. Hermione nodded as she sighed sadly. "Did he say why?", Ron quizzed further.

"Not really, but I got the impression that he's not quite ready to think about things like this yet", she told him.

"Well, I'm sure he'll be alright. He's got 'til September to make up his mind anyway", Ron smiled sincerely as he tried his best to reassure her. Hermione sighed as she nodded her head.

"You're right", she smiled warmly at him. "Well, we better get a move on! I'll be waiting in the kitchen", she grinned, kissing him on the cheek before make her way past him. Ron ran up to his bedroom and grabbed his wallet and jacket before running back down the stairs and joining Hermione in the kitchen.

"Will you both be back for dinner?", Molly asked as the pair got ready to leave.

"We'll just have something at the Leaky Cauldron", Ron smiled.

"Alright, well, I'll see you later", she grinned, reaching up to give her lanky son a hug before giving Hermione a small peck on the cheek. Ron and Hermione said their goodbyes before joining hands and disapparating to Diagon Alley. It was eerily quiet when they arrived. Only three or four witches and wizards were in sight as they made their way towards the Leaky Cauldron, their fingers entwined as they looked at the shops around them. Ron was happy to see that Ollivander's wand shop had been reconstructed and was looking as good as new. They arrived at their destination as Hermione took off her lavender jacket and draped it over her arm, Ron following suit with his own jacket. They spotted Professor McGonagall sitting in the far corner of the inn and made their way over to her. Ron didn't know why, but he felt nervous. This had been the first time he had seen the Professor since Fred's funeral. But it was just a chat, it wasn't like she was going to make him take his N.E.W.T.s there and then.

"Hello, Hermione. Ron", she smiled warmly as she invited them to join her. Professor McGonagall had never called Ron by his first name before, he was so used to her calling him 'Mr Weasley' that he almost cleaned out his ears to make sure he had heard her right. "I took the liberty of getting you both a butterbeer", she said as she shuffled two full glasses towards them.

"Thank you, Professor", Hermione smiled sincerely as she took a sip.

"Thank you", Ron echoed her shyly.

"Now, I know we're here to discuss the possibility of you returning to study your final year at Hogwarts, but I'd just like to check in with you both first; how have you been?", she asked. Ron and Hermione shared a look before Ron cleared his throat awkwardly.

"I've been well, thank you. My parents are back home now", Hermione told her.

"Ah yes, Kingsley did mention. I'm happy to hear they're both home safe", the Professor smiled sincerely. Suddenly, the Professor's attention turned to Ron as she waited for him to speak. What was a better way of saying ' _I've been a mess_ '? He thought.

"It's been difficult, but I'm alright, thanks", he told her. Professor McGonagall nodded sympathetically as she took a sip of her own drink.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that you're both doing well", she smiled. "Coming back to Hogwarts is actually simpler than you would expect. You would both start the year as you would've done last year. The only real difference is that you'll both be a year older", she explained.

"So, we'd be able to retake our final year?", Hermione double checked.

"Yes, I don't see why not", the Professor smiled. "You don't have to decide right away. Have a think and write to me when you've come to a decision", she told them. Ron and Hermione nodded as they sipped their drinks. For the next hour, Hermione spoke to the Professor of her desire to get her N.E.W.T.s and her hopes to further pursue her S.P.E.W campaign whilst Ron battled with his thoughts. He could see that Hermione was 100% certain that this was what she wanted, but Ron was still stuck at 50/50. He thought it would be great to go back to Hogwarts, but he wanted to go back for the right reasons. The only thing that made him want to go back was the prospect of being by Hermione's side, and he knew there needed to be more than that for him to go back. But, he just couldn't shake the awful feeling the thought of being without her gave him. Soon, they had said their goodbyes to the Professor and, after having something to eat, the pair made their way back to the Burrow.

"Ron? Hermione? Is that you?", his mother called upon the return.

"Yeah", Ron called back as he draped his and Hermione's jacket over the back of a kitchen chair.

"Can you come into the living room, please?", his mother called once more. Ron shared a suspicious look with Hermione before the pair of them made their way into the living room. Ron was surprised to find his mother sitting around the coffee table with Harry and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"What's going on?", Ron asked.

"The Minister has come to speak to the three of you", his mother told him as she got up from her armchair.

"Hello", Kingsley smiled warmly.

"Hullo", Ron replied.

"Hello, Minister", Hermione said politely.

"I'll be in the kitchen if any of you need anything", Molly said before disappearing. Ron and Hermione took a seat next to Harry on the three-seater sofa as they waited for the Minister to speak.

"Is everything alright?", Harry finally asked what they were all thinking. Ron felt nervous, for reasons that were unknown to him as he waited eagerly for Kingsley to reply.

"Yes, I came to speak to the three of you about a possible job opportunity actually", Kingsley told them. _A job opportunity?_ Ron thought. "As I'm sure you're aware, we sadly lost a lot of Aurors during the battle", Kingsley sighed sadly as he began. "After your triumph during the battle, we at the Ministry would like to offer the three of you a place in Auror training", he continued. Ron swore he could feel pupils dilating at the sudden offer. He suddenly became vastly aware of his own heartbeat as he felt his palms beginning to sweat.

"Auror training? Don't we need at least five N.E.W.T.s to be able to do that?", Harry asked. Ron's fast-beating heart suddenly began to slow down at Harry's words. _Of course_ there would be a catch.

"Usually; yes. But after seeing first-hand how valiantly the three of you fought during the battle, you have already exceeded our expectations and we are confident that the three of you would do well within this field", the Minister explained. "You have all more than satisfied the character and skill requirements needed to become an Auror", he continued. Ron suddenly felt a rush of pride surge through his body. But, it was a pride he had never quite felt before. In the past, he had felt pride when Harry had retrieved the Philosopher's Stone, when Charlie moved to Romania and when his brothers opened their joke shop. For the first time in his life; Ron felt proud of himself. He had never expected any sort of personal gain when he decided he was going to help Harry defeat the Dark Lord, but he was glad that someone felt that the three of them should be rewarded for their efforts. He and Harry had discussed the possibility of becoming Aurors many times during their fifth and sixth year and as well as knowing that this was something Harry really wanted, he actually really liked the idea himself. "I don't need a decision from any of you right now. I understand that this is a big thing to think about. If and when you do come to a decision, just come into the Ministry to see me and we'll discuss what happens next", Kingsley finished. The three of them shook hands with the Minister before they lead him out. As the Minister disapparated, the three of them shared a look, a look that could only mean one thing.

"Mum, we're just going to sit in the Orchard for a while", Ron told his mother before the three of them made their way outside. Ron, Harry and Hermione sat in a circle on the cool grass. A deafening silence filled the air as they each searched for something to say.

"What do you think?", Harry finally broke the silence. Hermione sighed as she tied her hair back into a messy bun.

"I don't think it would be the best thing for me", she told them. "I have plans – plans that I'm at peace with and I'm excited about", she spoke sternly. "What about the two of you?", she asked.

"I want to do it", Harry said confidently. "I spoke to McGonagall about becoming an Auror in sixth year – it's the only thing I _want_ to do, really. Well, it was either that or Quidditch", he told them. The pairs attention suddenly turned to Ron and he could feel their eyes on him as if their stares were burning into his skin. Ron sighed as he looked between the pair of them. Harry's eyes were soft and expectant, he knew that his best friend knew him better to know that he wanted this too. But then his attention turned to Hermione, and he couldn't help but see the worry in her sparkling brown eyes. He knew she would never ask him not to do what he wanted, but he would never want to hurt her in the process.

"I don't know", he finally said simply. Hermione placed her hand caringly on his knee as Harry smiled awkwardly. The rest of the day felt like a big blur to Ron as he battled with his thoughts once more. That morning he had been completely open to exploring _one_ option, now he had two very real and very tempting offers to consider and he couldn't for the life of him decide what to do. That night, he laid in bed wide awake once more, Hermione curled up comfortably by his side as she slept soundly. He had to talk to her about what was going on in his head. After their kiss during the battle, he had promised himself that this was a new start for he and Hermione, and that meant that he would not keep things from her or lie. "Hermione?", he spoke softly as he gently nudged her.

"Mmm?", Hermione replied sleepily as her eyes flickered open.

"Can we talk?", he asked. Hermione yawned as the pair sat up in unison, Ron using his deluminator to fill the room with light.

"What's wrong?", Hermione asked.

"What would you say if – if I didn't want to go back to Hogwarts?", he asked. Hermione smiled warmly as she sighed softly.

"Nothing. That would be your decision to make and I would support you", she told him simply.

"And – what if I wanted to be an Auror instead?", he asked further. Hermione gave a small breathy chuckle as she pushed her hair back out of her face.

"Ron. Are you trying to tell me you want to go to Auror training?", she asked. Ron sighed in frustration at his own stupidity. Why did everything he said to her have to sound like it was coming from a child? "You have to follow your heart, Ron", she told him.

"Following my heart would mean following you right back to Hogwarts", he told her honestly. Hermione smiled bashfully as she found his hand so that she could entwine her fingers with his. "Hermione, the thought of being without you bloody terrifies me!", he told her, tightening his grip on her hand slightly. "You've been a constant presence in my life for _seven years_! I don't know what I'd do without you", he sighed sadly. Hermione's free hand suddenly met his jaw as he dared to look at her.

"The thought of being without you scares me too, Ron", she told him. Ron could feel his heart beginning to settle at her admission. "But, maybe this could be good for us – as a couple. Surely, it wouldn't be healthy to spend every waking moment together?", she said as she held on to his hand with both hands.

"I guess not", he sighed once more.

"Not that I wouldn't like that", she blushed. "And we could always see each other on the weekends. When I'm not studying, of course", she told him.

"You're right", Ron gave a breathy chuckle. "You're always right", he smiled softly. "And – you wouldn't worry about me, would you?", he asked.

"Of course I'd worry. But, I know you'll be careful. If you can fight in a war at 17 years old then Auror training will be a piece of cake!", she told him.

" _A piece of cake_? Why would it be a _piece of cake_?", Ron asked, utterly confused by Hermione's sudden mention of food. Hermione chuckled as she smiled lovingly at him.

"It's a muggle term, Ron. It means it'll be easy", she told him.

"Oh!", Ron said, feeling a little stupid as he shook his head. He smiled affectionately at her as he placed his open palm against her cheek. And suddenly, something tender unearthed within him as he felt the warmth of her cheek against his hand and without any thought, he smiled sincerely, looking deep into her eyes. "I love you, Hermione", he suddenly said. And for once, he wasn't scared of a possible reaction to his sudden outburst of affection. He was already sure she knew how he felt, but he needed to say it out loud. He needed her to hear him say it and feel that he meant it.

"I love you too, Ron", she said softly, grinning as her lips slowly met his. The pair didn't move against each other like they usually would. Ron didn't want this moment to turn into a 'quick snog'. He wanted to remember every detail, every scent, and he wanted to just enjoy the feel of her lips against his own. He loved her more than anything he had loved in his entire life and it finally felt like the pieces of his once broken heart were finding their way back together again as the pair laid down together. Ron took out his deluminator once more and rid the room of all its light. His arm around Hermione as she laid her head against his chest just above his heart, Ron began to fall asleep, feeling the most content he had felt in his whole life.

* * *

 **A/N: I know it may have never been confirmed whether Hermione was asked to be an Auror too or not but I felt like she would have been! :)**


	16. Believe in Me

A few days had passed since Hermione had written to Professor McGonagall to confirm that she would like to return to Hogwarts and whilst the boys had gone to the Ministry to speak with Kingsley, she had decided to spend one sunny afternoon shopping in Diagon Alley for school supplies with Ginny. She couldn't help but feel a little lost without Ron and Harry but she had to admit; it was nice to spend some time with a fellow female. Hermione and Ginny had stopped at the Leaky Cauldron for a spot of lunch and a drink before getting the rest of their school supplies. There was an odd glow about Ginny recently, Hermione thought as she sipped her butterbeer. She knew Ginny had made progress with her grief but she had seemed much brighter than she had before. Hermione had even heard her singing Celestina Warbeck songs in the shower that morning, which was very out of character. Suddenly, Ginny sighed dramatically, placing her hands flat on the table in front of them.

"Alright, I know you're a bit of a _prude_ , but -"

"Excuse me?", Hermione was quick to cut her off, looking deeply offended. "I am not a _prude_!". Ginny rolled her eyes as she chuckled.

"Do you remember what you said to me when I told you Dean and I kissed for the first time?", Ginny asked raising her eyebrow accusingly.

"In my defence, you didn't need to tell me that you gave him an _erection_ ", Hermione shuddered as she recalled the conversation. Ginny couldn't help but laugh as she looked around their table, making sure no one was close enough to hear.

" _I have to tell you_ ", Ginny whispered. Hermione grew increasingly curious as she shuffled closer so that she could hear her better. " _Harry and I had sex_ ", Ginny whispered excitedly. Hermione's eyes widened at the news. Of all the things Ginny could've said in that moment, this was the last thing Hermione had expected. "Well? Say something!", Ginny chuckled. But Hermione didn't know _what_ to say as she sipped her butterbeer nervously. _I really am a little bit of a prude_ , she thought to herself as she searched for the right thing to say.

"Wow", Hermione finally blurted out. _Wow?_ Out of all the things she could've said, she went with _wow_? She wished there was some sort of book she could read that could help her in these sorts of situations. She had tried to read a muggle magazine called _Girl Talk_ more than a couple of times but she could barely make her way through the first couple of pages as it was full of celebrity gossip and _the latest fashion trends_ that Hermione didn't care much for.

"I'm sorry if I've made you feel uncomfortable", Ginny blushed. Hermione snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at Ginny.

"No. No, I'm not uncomfortable. I just don't know what else to say", she said honestly. And then a moment of intrigue came to Hermione and she suddenly had a lot of burning questions to ask. "Wh- what was it like?", she dared to ask, tripping over her own words nervously.

"It was amazing", Ginny gushed.

"Really?", Hermione replied. Ginny nodded confidently, taking a sip of her butterbeer.

"It hurt a little at first but – _wow_ ", Ginny told her, chuckling as she pushed her hair back behind her ears. Ginny proceeded to tell Hermione of the whole affair; how Harry had brought champagne and how they had laid together looking up at the stars. Hermione couldn't help but wonder what her own first time would be like. Would she and Ron make it a romantic occasion? Or would it be a passionate spur-of-the-moment type happening? She hadn't really thought of Ron in a sexual way. She loved him and she knew she was more than attracted to him, but, there was something about sex with Ron that scared her a little. She knew that whenever they decided to take their relationship to the next level, Ron would be a sweet and gentle lover, but she couldn't help but wonder; what if he saw something he didn't like? What if he didn't like that her stomach wasn't perfectly toned? What if the clover-shaped birthmark on her hip made him grimace? She couldn't bare it if he rejected her. "We better get a move on! Mum wants us back before tea, Bill and Fleur are visiting with some big news apparently", Ginny told her as she gathered her things, pulling Hermione from her thoughts. A part of Hermione _wanted_ to talk to Ginny about her concerns, but another part of her knew for certain that Ginny wouldn't want to discuss sexual concerns that involved her _older brother_. The pair paid quick visits to Flourish and Blotts and Madame Malkin's before disapparating back to the Burrow to get ready for tea.

Hermione went up to Ron's room to get changed for dinner to find Ron laid on his bed flicking through one of his Quidditch magazines. Hermione couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed upon seeing him. She recalled her earlier thoughts and how she had thought of him in a sexual way for the first time and she couldn't help but wonder how on earth he would react if he knew.

"Are you alright?", he asked as he got up to greet her. Hermione nodded eagerly, smiling brightly at him as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"How did it go at the Ministry?", she asked.

"Great, actually. We start training in August", he told her proudly.

"That's fantastic news, Ron", she smiled sincerely, wrapping her arms around his waist to hug him when she suddenly thought of her imperfect stomach once more and quickly released him from her embrace, feeling self-conscious.

"Are you sure you're alright?", he asked once more, rubbing her upper arms affectionately.

"I'm fine", she lied once more as she forced a smile.

"Hermione, what's -"

"Ron! Hermione! Bill and Fleur are here!", his mother interrupted him as she called from downstairs. Ron sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"We better go", he said.

"You go, I've got to get changed. I'll meet you downstairs", she smiled warmly. Ron smiled back at her, slight concern in his eyes before he left to let her get changed. Hermione felt a little relieved by Molly's disturbance. It was a conversation with Ron she wasn't quite sure she'd like to have. After changing into a baggy grey jumper and some black leggings, Hermione made her way downstairs to join the Weasleys for tea. Everyone was gathered around the table waiting for Molly with tea as the room was filled with sound of general chitchat. Hermione took a seat between Ron and Bill as she placed a napkin on her lap.

"Hello, Hermione, how are you?", Bill asked politely.

"I'm very well, thank you", Hermione smiled. "And yourself?", she asked in return.

"Definitely can't complain", Bill smiled brightly as he placed his hand on top of Fleur's, who was deep in conversation with Ginny. Soon, Molly had joined them with their meals and the family tucked in. A few moments later, every plate was empty and everyone sat around the table contently full as they praised Molly on her delicious cooking. "Fleur and I actually have some news", Bill suddenly announced as everyone turned their attention to them. "We visited Fleur's parents in France because – well – do you want to tell them?", he asked Fleur.

"I'm pregnant", she said, smiling brightly as Bill kissed her on the cheek. The room erupted with cheers and 'congratulations' as George got up to shake Bill by the hand and Arthur got up from his seat to pat his eldest son on the back. Molly sat in her chair in a stunned silence, her hands over her mouth as happy tears began to rim her hazel eyes. Bill got out of his seat to wrap his arms around his overjoyed mother.

"I'm going to be a Nanna?", she sobbed in disbelief. Bill nodded happily before Molly took his face in her hands, pulling him down to her height so that she could smother his cheek in kisses. Hermione could feel her heart warm in her chest as she looked around at the smiles in the room. She couldn't be happier for them if she tried. This news was exactly what the Weasleys had needed. Hermione congratulated the happy couple herself as she gave Fleur a hug and Bill, a small peck on the cheek. Arthur took it upon himself to crack open a bottle of Dragon Barrel brandy to celebrate the news. As the night grew old and guests began to leave, Hermione found herself sat with George and Angelina in the living room. Although, the pair hardly noticed she was there as George nibbled on Angelina's ear, causing her to giggle like he had just told the funniest joke in the world.

"Hey", Ron's sudden voice eased how uncomfortable she was as she looked up to find him standing in front of her. "Take a walk with me?", he asked. Hermione nodded happily as she got up, taking her jacket from the back of the sofa and following Ron outside. The pair walked for what felt like miles before either of them actually spoke. Hermione enjoyed the cool summer breeze blowing through her hair as Ron took her hand within his own, stopping her in her tracks as he turned her to face him. "What was wrong? Earlier, I mean", he asked. Hermione's heart sunk in her chest. She should've known better than to think he would take her on a spontaneous walk _just_ to be spontaneous.

"It's nothing, Ron. Silly really", she told him shyly.

"Is it the Auror thing? Because, Hermione, if you don't want me to go, I won't, you know", he told her worriedly.

"No. No, Ron, it's not that", she told him, giving a small breathy chuckle at his nervousness.

"Then what is it? Please talk to me, 'Mione", he pleaded. How she loved it when he called her _'Mione_. She sighed in defeat, pushing her hair back behind her ears as she sat down on the grass, pulling him down with her as she crossed her legs comfortably.

"I've been thinking about some things recently", she told him.

" _Things_? What _things_?", he asked.

"Well – it's – a friend of mine had sex for the first time and -", but Hermione stopped herself as she watched Ron's frightened expression. He was confirming her fears there and then. Of course he wouldn't want her in _that_ way. Why would he want her bushy hair getting stuck in his eyes and mouth or her scrawny fingers touching him? Hermione stayed in her uncomfortable silence until the next words that Ron spoke were nothing like she was expecting.

"It's not Harry and Ginny, _is it_?", he grimaced. "Actually! Don't tell me. Please. Please don't bloody tell me", he shut his eyes tight, shuddering dramatically. Hermione couldn't help but chuckle as she sighed in relief.

"It doesn't matter", she told him.

"No", he said suddenly, taking her hand within his once more. "No, it does matter. What is it?", he asked once more.

"Well – it just got me thinking about – well, about _us_ ", she said, trying to make what she was saying as clear as possible without actually saying the words themselves.

" _Right_ ", Ron said, clearly bewildered by what she was trying to say until she raised her eyebrows suggestively at him. "Oh! You mean – oh, you _mean_ -", he stumbled over his words, just as unwilling to say it as she was, his cheeks flushing a bright shade of red. "Well – Wh – what's the problem?", he dared to ask. Hermione sighed, unsure of how to tell him about her concerns as she looked over at the lake in the distance.

"Obviously one day, we'll want to – you know – and – and I'm just – I'm worried", she told him. Hermione didn't dare to look at him as she continued to stare at the lake, waiting for some sort of response.

"Worried about what?", he asked further.

"Worried that – that you may not – that you may not like what you see", she finally said it. Her heart pounding in her chest as small tears rimmed her eyes.

"What?", Ron said, sounding completely dumbfounded. "Hermione", he said her name rather sternly, causing her to look back at him. "Are you being bloody serious?", he asked. Hermione wasn't sure what to say as she looked down at the grass between her legs, sniffing a little as she remained silent. Ron's hand suddenly met her chin, forcing her head up to look at him as he smiled warmly at her, looking at her with such adoration in his bright blue eyes. "Hermione, you're _beautiful_!", he spoke sincerely. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever met! Inside _and_ out", he told her, smiling warmly. His kind words caused her tears to fall freely as she looked back at him. No one had ever referred to her as _beautiful_ before, and it meant all the more to her because it had been Ron to say it to her. She didn't think it to be possible to love someone this much, but she loved Ron so much that she feared her heart would burst at any moment. Everything they had been through, all the arguments they had had, all the times he had made her cry or she had made him angry, it was all leading to this point. And everything finally seemed to feel worth it. To be in this moment and to be together.


	17. Fix You

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! I've been absolutely swamped by university work but I've got it all under control now and should be able to dedicate as much time as possible to updating! Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

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A month had passed and it was the eve of July 31st and Harry's 18th birthday was just hours away. Ginny had been sat with Hermione in her bedroom for two hours planning a surprise party that they would prepare whilst Ron took Harry out for a few hours to distract him. This would be the first birthday Harry had properly celebrated without the cruel demands of the Dursleys or the fear of being hunted down by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters and Ginny wanted to make sure it would be as special as possible. She had invited all of his friends from Hogwarts, and a few of her own, as well as the remaining members of The Order, and she had asked her parents if they would mind buying some alcoholic beverages since he would be turning 18. Molly begrudgingly agreed under the condition that Ginny stayed on butterbeer during the occasion.

"This really is a wonderful idea, Ginny", Hermione smiled warmly as she continued to add to their list of needed items. "At least this year he'll be able to enjoy the cake we're going to bake", she chuckled. Ginny smiled faintly, sighing a little as she added to her own list. "Is everything alright, Ginny?", Hermione asked.

"It's just weird, isn't it?", she said. Hermione remained silent as she waited for Ginny to continue. "So much has changed since last year. So many people are missing", she sighed sadly. Hermione began to rub Ginny's shoulder sympathetically as she smiled at her sadly. Ginny knew she was searching through her brilliant brain for just the right thing to say, but she knew she wouldn't find a thing. Ginny's statement was one that could not be argued against. And she began to think, not only of her own losses, but, of Harry's too. He had already started out life as an orphan, but he had lost so much along the way since the night of his parents' deaths. She couldn't help but admire how strong he was. The loss of one family member had turned Ginny into a wreck overnight, but Harry had lost much more than she and was, somehow, still holding it together. She found him utterly inspiring. She then thought of how sad it would make him to not have Sirius and Remus there to celebrate with him when a brilliant idea suddenly came to her. She knew there was no way for her to be able to bring loved ones back from the dead, but she knew there were loved ones still around that could help him feel close to them. Ginny quickly took out a new piece of parchment and began writing.

"What are you doing?", Hermione asked as Ginny wrote as quickly as she could before folding the parchment up and putting it in an envelope.

"It's just one more invite I forgot to send", she smirked before scribbling a name and address on the front of the envelope. Ginny got up and ran downstairs to find Errol before giving him the letter and sending him on his way. She smiled brightly as she watched Errol fly out of the window and off into the distance. She really hoped Harry would like her surprise.

The next morning, Ginny awoke with her arm draped snugly around Harry's waist. She looked up at him, smiling lovingly as she watched him deep in slumber. His hair was messy as it always was and his eyelids twitched as if he were dreaming. Ginny wished she could know what he was thinking.

"Morning", his voice suddenly croaked as he squinted at her.

"Happy birthday", she smiled brightly, reaching up so that she could kiss him full on the mouth.

"Mmm", he smiled as he stretched. "Wish I could wake up every morning like this", he told her.

"You _do_ wake up every morning like this", Ginny rolled her eyes as she chuckled. Harry chuckled as he gestured to his lower region with his eyes. Ginny's eyes widened as she stifled a laugh.

"Contain yourself. Pervert", she smirked as she got out of bed. Ginny had a quick shower, brushed her teeth and got changed into some jeans and a t-shirt before rushing downstairs before Harry could. "Mum, did I get any mail this morning?", she asked as she waltzed into the kitchen.

"Good morning to you too", her mother rolled her eyes. Ginny blushed, feeling guilty before her mother chuckled, handing her an envelope before returning to make breakfast. Ginny quickly ripped open the letter, reading it carefully before jumping up and down with joy.

"What's got you all excited?", she suddenly heard Harry's voice from behind her. Ginny quickly scrunched up the letter and stuffed it in her back pocket as she spun around to face him.

"Nothing! Mum's just making breakfast and I'm so hungry", she lied. Harry chuckled as he sat down at the table.

"Happy birthday, Harry, dear!", Molly called happily and she shuffled over to the dining table in her old beige slippers, forcing Harry into her embrace.

"Thank you, Molly", Harry smiled warmly. They were soon joined by Ron, who still wore his old baggy pyjama bottoms and a Chudley Cannons tank top.

"Happy birthday, mate", Ron patted him on the shoulder as he joined him at the table.

"Thanks, Ron", Harry smiled as Molly presented them both with bacon sandwiches. Ginny widened her eyes at Ron, silently scolding him to get on with their plan. Ron cleared his throat awkwardly as he turned on his chair to face Harry properly.

"So, Harry, I was – um – I was thinking – do you wanna go to Hogsmeade later?", Ron asked clumsily. Ginny couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Yeah, alright", Harry smiled as he took a bite out of his sandwich. Ginny exhaled silently with relief. "Where's Hermione?", Harry suddenly asked.

"She went out with dad to help him get some shopping", Ginny replied quickly. Harry raised his eyebrow suspiciously at her as she grinned nervously.

"Are you alright?", he asked. Ginny nodded eagerly.

"I'm just excited. It is your birthday after all", she told him coolly.

"It's just another day", Harry chuckled as he took a bite out of his sandwich. A few short moments later, Harry and Ron had disappeared upstairs to get ready for their trip to Hogsmeade as Hermione and Arthur stumbled through the front door carrying a dozen shopping bags. Hermione's hair was much more full of life than it usually was as she and Arthur placed their bags on the kitchen table.

"No! No, not there! Hide them in the living room!", Ginny scolded them. Arthur and Hermione huffed in unison, sharing a glance before smirking and taking their wands out, using them to charm the bags to float carefully into the living room.

"Have they not gone yet?", Hermione asked as she sat down at the table. Ginny shook her head as she scurried into the living room, making sure all the bags were completely hidden from view. The boys had soon returned downstairs, Hermione grinning brightly as she got up and gave Harry a hug. "Happy birthday, Harry", she said, releasing him from her embrace so that Ron could shyly give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, Hermione", he smiled warmly. "Do you need a hand with the shopping? Ron and I could help before we go to Hogsmeade?", he offered.

"No, it's all taken care of", Arthur smiled, patting Harry on the shoulder. "You go and enjoy your birthday". Harry smiled warmly at Arthur, nodding in acknowledgment.

"Are you coming with us, Hermione?", he asked. Hermione's eyes widened a little at Harry's sudden invitation.

"Um – thank you, but I – uh – I promised Ginny I'd help tidy her room", Hermione stumbled over her words. Harry looked between Hermione and Ginny suspiciously as Ginny nodded.

"It's an absolute tip!", Ginny laughed.

"Well, we better get going mate", Ron said as he began to lead Harry out of the front door. As soon as they had left, everyone sighed in unison before Ginny rolled up her sleeves.

"Right; Hermione and I are going to start baking. Mum, are you still alright with the food?", Ginny asked.

"Yes, love", her mother smiled sweetly as she retrieved a bag full of food from the living room.

"Dad, are you still alright to do the decorating?", she asked. Arthur nodded as he smiled confidently.

"George should be here any moment to give me a hand", Arthur told her as, he too, disappeared into the living room to retrieve a bag full of decorations. Ginny and Hermione had finished baking Harry's birthday cake in just under an hour as they began to smother the chocolate sponge in red and yellow frosting.

"You'd make a brilliant Quidditch coach, Ginny", Hermione chuckled as Ginny checked through her list of things to do, leaving Hermione to finish frosting the cake.

"It's funny you should say that actually", she told her, her eyes still on her list. "I was thinking about becoming a Quidditch player, once I've left Hogwarts", she continued.

"Really?", Hermione asked. Ginny nodded as she began scratching out words on her list. "That's fantastic, Ginny!", Hermione smiled brightly as she took the cake from its cooling rack and placed it carefully on a plate before placing 18 candles around black icing that spelt out ' _Happy Birthday Harry_ '. Ginny smiled warmly at her as she folded her list and stuffed it in the back pocket of her jeans. After hiding the cake from view, Ginny and Hermione made their way into the living room to see how Arthur and George were getting on with the decorations. The living room looked fantastic; George was just finishing hanging a large multi-coloured banner that read ' _Happy 18th Birthday, Harry_ ' which Ginny had ordered to be customised with Harry's favourite Quidditch players zooming around his name as they cheered on their brooms. Arthur had been charming burgundy and gold balloons to blow themselves up as he hung bright coloured streamers from the ceiling.

"It looks brilliant in here!", Ginny smiled brightly.

"I'm quite the miracle worker", George said smugly as he stepped down from a small wooden step ladder. "What time is everyone getting here then?", he asked. Before Ginny could answer there was a sudden knock at the front door.

"Now", she grinned as she rushed to answer the door. The first guests to arrive were Neville and Luna, closely followed by Dean, Seamus and Lee Jordan. A few short moments later they were joined by Bill, Fleur, Percy and Hagrid. Before Ginny knew it, the Burrow was full of guests, all chatting in excitement as they waited for Harry and Ron to return. Ginny stood having a conversation with Luna about the latest issue of the Quibbler when Hermione rushed to her side.

"They're coming!", she told her. Ginny shushed the entire room, bringing all conversations to a sudden stop as they waited to surprise Harry. The front door creaked open and footsteps could be heard drawing ever closer when Harry reached the living room. Everyone yelled out " _Happy Birthday, Harry_ " in unison as George let off a few indoor-friendly fireworks. Harry's smile lit up the whole room as he looked around at everyone as they hurried towards him to greet him. Ginny could feel her heart swelling at the sight of his happiness. She only hoped he would be happy with her final surprise.

"This was all your idea, wasn't it?", Harry said quietly as he suddenly snaked his arm around her waist. Ginny giggled as she kissed him warmly on the cheek.

"Happy birthday, Harry", she said in almost a whisper. Harry grinned brightly at her, mouthing the words ' _thank you_ ' before Ginny encouraged him to talk to his guests. An hour into the celebration, Ginny sat in a corner talking with Hermione and Ginny when there was a sudden knock at the door. Ginny knew instantly who it was as she shot up out of her seat and raced her mother to the door. "It's alright! I've got it, mum!", she said as she hurried to answer it. Ginny opened the door to reveal Andromeda Tonks carrying a small woven basket. Ginny was thrilled that she had been able to come to the party on such short notice, but it was a risk Ginny had been willing to take. She knew Harry hadn't seen Teddy Lupin since before the battle and she thought that maybe by bonding with his godson, he could find some sort of peace. "Thank you for coming, Mrs Tonks", Ginny said politely as she invited her in.

"Thank you for having us", she grinned brightly as she passed Ginny and made her way into the kitchen. Upon closing the door, baby Teddy began to cry in his basket as Andromeda lifted him out, carefully cradling him in her arms. "He's been a little fussy today", Andromeda told her as she shushed him soothingly. As Teddy's cries soon faded, Andromeda gently pushed back the fleece blanket that was hooded over his head, revealing that he had bright blue hair. Ginny's eyes widened at the revelation. Andromeda chuckled as she adjusted his blanket. "Yes, as it turns out, Teddy is a metamorphmagus", she explained. Ginny grinned brightly as she shuffled closer to admire him. His hair was tufty and short and his eyes were a mesmerising dark colour.

"Harry's going to be so happy to see you both", she said as she smiled down at Teddy.

"Yes, I have been meaning to get in touch, but I know that you and your family have had a lot to deal with", Andromeda explained sympathetically. Ginny sighed as she nodded, still smiling down at little Teddy, who had begun to smile back, his hair slowly fading to a dull red colour. "He picks up on colours quite a lot", Andromeda chuckled.

"Just a second, I'm just going to get Harry", Ginny told her as she rushed into the living room to find Harry. "I have another surprise for you", she told him excitedly.

"Really? Ginny, you didn't have to do all this", Harry told her as she began to drag him to the kitchen.

"I know. I _wanted_ to", she smiled back at him as they entered the kitchen. Harry stood glued to the spot as his eyes met Andromeda's. Ginny was worried that she may have overstepped the mark as she waited for him to speak, but his eyes were firmly on Teddy as he showed no sign of emotion.

"Happy birthday, Harry", Andromeda smiled warmly as Harry continued to stare at the bundle she held in her arms.

"Thank you", he said blankly.

"Ginny and I thought you might want to spend some time with Teddy. I think he'd like to spend some time with his godfather", Andromeda continued as she dared to shuffle closer. Harry's eyes met Ginny's and, in that instant, Ginny knew she had done the right thing. His eyes were rimmed with happy tears as he began to smile faintly.

"I'd love to", he told Andromeda as he gave a breathy chuckle as he sniffed.

"Would you like to hold him?", Andromeda asked as she smiled warmly. Harry nodded as Andromeda made her way towards him, carefully placing Teddy in his arms. Ginny's heart melted at the sight as she watched Harry with baby Teddy, who looked up at him with his shining dark eyes. Harry took Teddy's small fist within his fingers when Teddy wrapped his hand firmly around Harry's little finger. A stray tear dropped onto his blanket from Harry's eye as he smiled down lovingly at his godson.

"I'm going to give you all a moment to catch up", Ginny smiled warmly as she gave Harry a kiss on the cheek before re-joining the guests in the living room.

"Ginny, where have you been?", Hermione asked, who still sat with Luna in the corner.

"I invited Andromeda and Teddy to come", Ginny told them.

"What a lovely idea!", Luna smiled brightly.

"Yes, that was really wonderful of you, Ginny", Hermione grinned from ear to ear. "How is he?", she asked.

"Really happy", Ginny smiled as she looked back at Harry in the kitchen, still in awe of his godson. A few moments later, Ginny gave her mother permission to go and fuss over baby Teddy before Andromeda could take him back home. Andromeda had let Harry feed Teddy a bottle of milk before they were ready to leave.

"Thank you for the invite! Teddy and I had a wonderful time", Andromeda smiled as she gave Ginny a hug.

"Thank you for coming!", Harry grinned as he passed Teddy, whose hair was now jet black, back to Andromeda.

"I'll be sure to bring Teddy to visit before you head off to Auror training", Andromeda smiled. Harry nodded in response as he entwined his fingers with Ginny's. The Weasleys and Harry said their goodbyes to Andromeda and Teddy before returning to the party. But, before Ginny could reach the living room, she was suddenly stopped in her tracks as someone held her hand in theirs. Harry pulled her into his embrace, crashing his lips into hers as he ran his fingers through her smooth red locks.

"Thank you", he said softly, their lips mere inches apart as their foreheads met. "I love you so much", he told her. Ginny could feel her heart thumping within her chest as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I'm not the only one who deserves the world", she whispered softly into his ear.


	18. Oblivion

**A/N: Another apology! (which i also apologise for xS). I'm graduating university in three weeks and the last few months have been super stressful so I haven't had any time for me let alone my writing! But whilst I've got the Easter holidays I thought I'd use some of the time off to write! Sorry again guys, enjoy the chapter!**

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It was the evening of Harry's birthday and as Ron sat up in bed whilst he flicked through one of his old Quidditch magazines, unable to sleep, Hermione slept soundly beside him. A faint smile etched upon her sleeping face as Ron watched her. Watching Hermione sleep was a strange yet wonderful new occurrence for Ron, he enjoyed watching her in this calm state, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she curled up into a comfortable ball. This particular night, Ron only wished that he could sleep that soundly, but the day his Auror training had begun to draw ever closer and he grew more nervous with each passing day. He and Harry had talked about becoming Aurors for as long as Ron could remember, but that didn't stop him from feeling terrified of what was ahead, or those that he would leave behind whilst he trained. His gaze turned to a sleeping Hermione once again, who had turned over to face him, sleepily entwining her fingers with his as she gently began to hug his arm.

"Mmm", she murmured sleepily, still in deep slumber as Ron gave a small breathy chuckle. Ron could hardly imagine spending more than a couples of days away from Hermione, not since the battle. She would go back to her parents every few days, but she would always return, and Ron always had that to look forward to. He had once heard a rumour from Dean that Aurors would only get Christmas to themselves and the thought scared Ron, but he was sure that it was nothing more than a rumour. He and Harry had been informed that Auror training was a little like studying in school, but a lot more intense. Still, the thought of only seeing Hermione at Christmas unnerved him. He remembered that she had mentioned, not that long ago, something about seeing each other at the weekends, but Ron thought that training would definitely not stop for the weekend, although, he didn't truly know anything for certain until his first day. Kingsley had explained the ins and outs of what exactly it was that they would be doing whilst they were there, but things like timetables and days off were yet to be confirmed.

The next morning, Ron awoke in his empty bed. He gave an exaggerated stretch, swinging his long legs off of the bed and allowing his feet to lazily search for his slippers. He knew Hermione must have gone downstairs for breakfast. He wrapped himself snugly in his orange dressing gown before heading downstairs for breakfast. Harry and Hermione sat at the table talking when Hermione stopped midsentence upon noticing Ron.

"Good morning", she smiled sweetly. Harry smiled over his shoulder as he gave Ron a quick wave.

"Morning", Ron said, taking a seat beside Hermione as he helped himself to some toast. "Did you sleep alright?", he asked before taking a bite.

"Wonderfully, thanks", Harry grinned. Ron rolled his eyes at Harry as Hermione chuckled.

"Yes, thank you", Hermione answered, taking a slice of toast and placing it on her own plate. "I was just asking Harry about Teddy. He's a metamorphmagus", she told him.

"Really?", Ron said, genuinely intrigued by the information. Harry nodded proudly as he took a bite out of his own breakfast.

"You think you've seen everything and then you see a baby change his hair from blue to orange. He's brilliant!", Harry chuckled. The three were soon interrupted by Molly, who quickly rushed into the kitchen and began to clear the table in a hurry.

"Everything alright, mum?", Ron asked.

"Yes, love. You boys better go and get yourselves dressed", she said, looking between Ron and Harry. "Your father just apparated home from the Ministry to tell us that Kingsley will be stopping by this morning", she continued as she took Ron's breakfast from him.

"Did he say what for?", Ron asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry. Molly shook her head as she hurried to the sink with all the plates she could carry.

"Would you like a hand, Molly?", Hermione asked politely.

"Oh, yes, dear, could you fluff the cushions in the living room, please?", she asked. Hermione nodded happily before playfully flicking the boys on their upper arms.

"Ow! What the bloody hell was that for?", Ron asked as he rubbed his arm.

"Don't just stand there; go and get ready!", she chuckled before disappearing into the living room. Ron began to follow Harry up the stairs before the pair parted ways outside Ginny's room. Ron continued up one more flight of stairs before reaching the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and took a quick bath. It wasn't long before he and Harry joined his mother and Hermione downstairs once again as they waited for Kingsley to arrive.

"You don't think it'll be about training, do you?", Ron whispered to Harry. Harry simply shrugged as he used his wand to smooth out his messy hair.

"I doubt it though, Ministry business is usually kept a _t_ the Ministry", he said.

"He's here!", Molly told them in a hushed, yet, eager tone.

"Bloody hell, mum, it's only Kingsley! He's been here a million times!", Ron told her. Molly flicked Ron on the tip of his ear, causing him to wince before rushing to the door to let Kingsley in.

"Hello, Molly. How are you?", Kingsley as politely as Molly invited him in.

"Very well, thank you, Minister", Molly replied. Kingsley chuckled as he made his way into the living room.

"Kingsleys fine, thank you", he smiled. Ron smirked at Harry and Hermione, who rolled her eyes, before they each got up to shake the Minister's hand. "Good morning", he said brightly as he took a seat across from them. The three back sat down nervously. "Right, I don't have a lot of time so I'm going to make this as short and as sweet as possible", he informed them, addressing only Ron and Harry. Hermione took this as a sign to excuse herself as she joined Molly in the kitchen. "Due to unforeseen circumstances, your Auror training has been brought forward", he told them.

"Brought forward?", Ron echoed his words. "How far forward?", he asked.

"By one week", Kingsley explained.

"So, wouldn't that be this weekend?", Harry asked further. Kingsley nodded as he took out two pieces of parchment from his robes, handing Ron and Harry one each.

"Everything you need to know is written down for you here", he told them.

"Can we know why training's been brought forward?", Ron asked as Harry scanned the parchment.

"Not just yet. I've had to come out here very quickly and it's best we don't discuss anything further away from the Ministry", Kingsley explained further. "Nothing to be concerned over though, don't look so worried, Ron!", he smiled reassuringly. But Ron's worried expression wasn't showing any sign of going anywhere anytime soon. "Right, I best be off. I'll see you both Friday 9AM sharp", he smiled as he got up from his seat. "Tell your mum I said goodbye", he smiled once more before disapparating.

"Has he gone?", Molly rushed into the living room. "I was just finishing making some tea", she huffed.

"I think we'll take that tea, please, Molly", Harry said.

"Is everything alright, love?", Molly suddenly asked, noticing her son's frightened expression. Ron didn't respond. He couldn't. He felt like his tongue had tied itself into a knot and had lodged itself right at the back of his throat, forbidding him from speaking at all. Molly gave a concerned sigh before disappearing back into the kitchen to finish the tea.

"Ron? Are you alright?", Harry asked.

"I thought we'd have more time", Ron finally spoke.

"It's only a week though. And you heard Kingsley; there's nothing to worry about", Harry tried his best to reassure him. Ron was grateful, but his heart had sunk too far down into his chest for him to feel any relief.

"I need a moment", Ron suddenly said, getting up and walking out of the front door before Harry even had the chance to respond. He could hear his mother calling after him as he walked out into the Orchard, but he couldn't stop. He needed to be alone with his thoughts for a while. Ron had taken refuge in his favourite spot – sat under the beech tree that faced the lake so he could skim stones as he processed the news that he would be heading for training in just three days. Kingsley reassured them that there was nothing to worry about, but Ron couldn't help but wonder what the rush was. Why had training been brought forward? And why did Kingsley have to rush out of the Ministry just to tell them? Why had he been robbed of time that he could have spent with Hermione? Hermione. How would she react? How would he prepare to leave her in just three short days? Maybe he wasn't cut out for this after all.


	19. All of the Words

George and Angelina parted bodies, catching their breaths as they suddenly broke out into a fit of giggles.

"What are we even laughing about?", George asked breathlessly, still laughing as he turned to face her.

"Well, I'm laughing at the fact that we somehow managed to suddenly wake up simultaneously, grab a glass of milk and then have sex at 3 in the morning", she giggled to herself. "'Don't know what you're laughing about though", she smirked as she turned on her side to face him in return.

"Oh me? I was laughing at that mole above your arse that looks a little bit like a Cornish pixie", he told her mischievously. Angelina gasped dramatically as she playfully slapped his bare arm, the pair of them soon returning to their fits of laughter. George pulled Angelina into his embrace, wrapping his arm around her bare shoulders as he kissed the top of her head. "Do your parents actually know you're not home?", he suddenly asked, his lips but mere inches away from her skin.

"Yeah", Angelina laughed. "They're probably too wrapped up in themselves to notice though", she sighed, looking somewhat down compared to how she had been laughing just moments before.

"Have – have they been arguing for a while?", he dared to ask. Angelina nodded as she snaked her arm snuggly around his waist.

"I actually wouldn't mind if they broke up at this point", she admitted, lifting her head up to look at him. "I know that sounds bad. I'd just – I'd rather them be apart than be stuck hating each other for the rest of their lives", she sighed. "But – they're stubborn. They think if they separate it's going to mess me up because I'll be in a _broken home_ ", she gave a breathy laugh as she shook her head. "I swear they've forgotten that it's my _21st birthday_ in two months", she rolled her eyes as she rested her head in the crook of George's neck. George sighed sadly as he tightened his grip on her ever so slightly. He knew she had been having trouble with her parents recently, but he hadn't known just how bad things were, and he felt like a right old tosser for not having asked her about it before. "Stop beating yourself up. It doesn't suit you", she suddenly told him, as if she had been reading his mind. He couldn't help but chuckle as he kissed the top of her head once more. George couldn't remember the last time he had felt truly comfortable in his own flat like this. He dreaded the thought of Angelina ever going home as he began to run his fingers softly through her jet-black hair, when a sudden thought came to him, a thought he barely had time to think through before he opened his mouth.

"Move in with me", he suddenly said. Angelina slowly propped herself up on her elbow as she looked up at him.

"What did you just say?", she asked. George suddenly felt nervous, watching her eyebrow rise as she waited for him to say something.

"You're clearly not happy at home and – well – I don't really want you to go", he said shyly. Angelina remained silent for a moment, covering herself with a sheet as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Do you mean it?", she asked, her back facing him. George shuffled to her side, placing her hair behind her ear as he smiled goofily at her.

"'Course I do", he told her. He had never been more sure of anything in his life. "You practically live here already anyway!", he chuckled. Angelina remained silent as she stared at the floor. George grew worried as he waited for her to say something, _anything_! "Well?", he spoke shyly.

"Can I think about it?", she asked, daring to look at him. George could feel his heart sinking in his chest. "That wasn't a no!", she told him hurriedly. "I just – I need to think about it for a little bit. It's a big decision, you know?", she tried her best to explain. George's heart lifted slightly as he nodded. He knew she was being honest with him, but he hadn't anticipated wanting her to say 'Yes' this badly. He carefully shuffled back to his side of the bed before patting the empty space beside him.

"Sleep on it?", he asked softly. Angelina smiled sincerely as she nodded, shuffling towards him so that she could curl up into a ball by his side. The pair laid silently in the dark for a while, Angelina's back curved perfectly against George's stomach, his arm draped over her waist, their fingers entwined. "Are you asleep?", he asked quietly.

"How could I possibly sleep?", she replied without moving. "Don't you think we're moving a bit fast?", she asked.

"Fast?", George couldn't help but laugh. "I've known you for half of my life! 'Not like you're some random girl I picked up from the Leaky Cauldron one night, is it?", he said sarcastically.

"Oh. You have experience in that, _do you_?", George could hear her smirking in her voice as he playfully squeezed her waist to make her jump. The pair soon melted into each other's embrace as they slept soundly at last.

The next morning, George awoke to an empty bed as he got up and wandered sleepily into the living room. Angelina stood in his small kitchen frying bacon in a pan in nothing but one of his old t-shirts. How sexy she looked in his t-shirts, he thought to himself.

"Morning", Angelina peered over her shoulder at him.

"Mmm, I could get used this", he said smugly. Angelina raised her eyebrow at him accusingly before returning her attention to the frying pan. "I was thinking of visiting the Burrow today, if you fancy it?", he suddenly asked as he sat down on the sofa. Angelina made her way towards him carrying two plates of sandwiches, handing one to him as she sat down beside him.

"Sounds good", she said as she took a bite out of her sandwich. "I'll get ready after this", she smiled as she continued to eat her breakfast. A short hour later, the pair had gotten dressed and ready to head to the Burrow. George took a quick look around the shop before the pair joined hands and apparated to the Burrow. He and Angelina arrived in the middle of the Orchard as a troubled Ron stormed towards them.

"Hiya Ronnikins", George smiled, but Ron walked right past him without a word. "Nice to see you too!", George called after him. Angelina suddenly slapped his upper arm.

"Leave him alone", she told him sternly as the pair made their way towards the Burrow. George wasn't surprised to see his mother already stood in the doorway, probably calling after Ron, he thought.

"Oh, hello, George love", she smiled warmly, her arms wide open ready to embrace him. "I wasn't expecting the two of you today", she said as she made her way towards Angelina, greeting her too with a warm hug.

"We thought we'd pop in and see how everyone is", George smiled sincerely as he and Angelina followed his mother inside. "What's wrong with Ron anyway?", he asked as the pair sat down at the dining room table.

"Oh", Molly huffed as she began to prepare some tea. "Kingsley came to visit him and Harry this morning. Seems he's brought their training forward", she told him, handing them both a steaming cup of tea. "I suppose he'll be sulking over Hermione", she rolled her eyes as she joined them at the table. "Honestly, the poor girl has her own life to live as well! He's been very attached to her recently", she finished, taking a sip of her tea.

"Hmm. Sounds like someone I know", Angelina smirked. George nudged her gently with his elbow as he scowled at her.

"Do you want me to try talking to him?", George offered.

"It wouldn't hurt to try. I know he's probably scared to death, bless him. Merlin knows I want to keep him home for as long as possible!", Molly chuckled. "But, he's worked so hard for this. It'd be such a shame if he changed his mind", she sighed as she continued to sip her tea.

"I'll go", George said as he got up from his seat.

"Thank you, love", Molly smiled sweetly at him as he turned to leave. "Now, my dear, how have you been keeping?", he heard his mother asking Angelina as he left. He couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving them alone together as he chuckled to himself. George walked out towards the lake where he found Ron sitting under the beech tree, skimming stones across the water.

"If the wind changes, your face will stay like that", he joked as he watched his brother. Ron didn't respond as he skimmed another stone across the lake. George sighed as he took a seat beside him. He picked up a small stone himself and tried to skim it, but the stone sunk as soon as it had hit the water. "You've always been better at this than me", George chuckled. Ron remained in his silent state as he looked out into the Orchard. "You're really good at a lot of things you know? Like – Quidditch, Wizard's chess, getting rid of bad guys", George told him.

"Did mum put you up to this?", Ron asked.

"Yes and no", George replied. Ron huffed as he skimmed another stone. "Did she ask me to talk to you? Yes. Did she tell me what to say? No", George continued. One of his favourite things about his younger brother was how easy it was to wind him up, but, since losing Fred, George had decided that he needed to look out for Ron much more than he had done previously. He knew Fred would've done the same. "You know Hermione'll still be here when you get back, right?", he asked.

"I know", Ron sighed. "It's just – she's been helping me. _A lot_. I just don't want to end up hiding away in my room again like before. I don't want to be a coward", he admitted.

"You're a lot of things, Ron, but a coward? No", George told him. Ron looked at him with sad eyes. George knew he wanted to believe him, but his younger brother had a tendency to beat himself down in any way possible. "I asked Angelina to move in with me last night", he suddenly said. Ron's eyes widened at the revelation.

"What? Why?", he asked.

"For the same reason you're scared of going to training", he told him honestly. "She helps me a lot too. Makes the place feel less – _empty_ ", he continued. Ron nodded in understanding. "That and because I love her", he smiled confidently. It had been the first time he had said it out loud, and it was a moment that had terrified him, but now he had actually admitted it, George felt like a new man. Ron was astonished by George's sudden admissions as he listened intently. "When I first asked her – well – _blurted it out_ at her – I thought that's why I was doing it. Because I was scared I was going to crumble apart if she left. But – that's not it at all actually", George chuckled to himself.

"Then – what is it?", Ron asked.

"I just _love her_. That's it. I'm not scared and I don't think I'll crumble apart without her. I love her", he chuckled to himself once more at his own realisation. "You love Hermione, don't you?", he asked.

"Isn't it bloody obvious?", Ron sighed. George couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't confuse fear with love, Ron. You'll drive yourself mad!", he joked.

"But – but what if she meets someone? What if she forgets about me?", Ron asked nervously. George couldn't help but feel sad at Ron's query. He knew Ron was insecure, _especially_ when it came to Hermione, but he had no idea just how bad his insecurities were.

"Ron – that's not gonna happen. 'You know why?", George replied. Ron shook his head. "Because she loves you too, you muppet!", he laughed as he ruffled his brother's hair. Ron laughed along with him as he wafted his hand away from his head. George felt accomplished to have finally said something Ron didn't argue against. The pair leaned against the beech tree as they stared back out at the lake for a moment. "We used to make bets on it, you know – me and Fred", he suddenly said.

"Bets on what?", Ron asked.

"On when you and Hermione would finally get together", he gave a breathy chuckle. Ron laughed himself as he shook his head. "Fred owes me 4 galleons for that actually. Typical", George joked as he rolled his eyes. Ron chuckled as he gave a contented sigh.

"Thanks, George", he said.

"Don't mention it, little brother", George smiled. The pair sat in silence for a while before they both headed back to the Burrow. Ron made his way up the stairs to see Harry and Hermione as George joined Angelina, his mother and Ginny at the table.

"Well, Ron certainly looked a lot happier!", Molly's smile beamed. "Thank you, love", she said, getting out of her seat and kissing him on the top of his head before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Well, I'm supposed to be meeting Luna in Diagon Alley!", Ginny suddenly said as she got up and put on her coat, giving George as kiss on the cheek. "See you, George. Bye, Angelina!", she said as she left. Angelina chuckled to herself as she cradled a cup of tea in her hands.

"What are you laughing at?", George raised his eyebrow at her.

"Your mum and Ginny were just telling me some stories about you is all", she smirked. George rolled his eyes as he chuckled.

"Well, that can't have been good", he told her as he laughed. "Are you ready to head off?", he asked. Angelina nodded as she finished her tea. The pair of them made their way into the kitchen to say their goodbyes to Molly before disapparating back to George's flat. Angelina had only just hung her coat up when George had taken her by the arm and spun her around to face him, crashing his lips into hers, she tugged on the hem of his shirt.

"Mmm. What was that for?", she asked quietly, their noses mere inches apart as George cupped her jaw in the palm of his hand.

"If you don't want to move in with me right now, that's fine", he told her. "Because I'll still love you either way", he continued. Angelina took a sudden step back so she could get a better look at him. He knew she was looking for a sign that he was joking.

"Excuse me?", she said, her hands still firmly on his waist.

"I. Love. You", George spoke slowly. He truly didn't care if she wasn't ready to say it back, or whether she wanted to move in with him or not. He loved her. And he needed her to know. Without warning, Angelina crashed her lips back into his once more, her hands became lost in his hair as he allowed his fingertips to wander over the small of her back. They parted lips slowly, Angelina pushing his hair back as she smiled warmly at him.

"You're an absolute prat, Weasley", she chuckled softly. "But it's a good job I love you too, isn't it?", she smirked. George could feel his heart thumping rapidly against his ribcage at her words. So, this is what being in love feels like, he thought to himself. He kissed her once more, this time much more gently as his lips brushed softly across hers. "When would be the best time for us to go and get my stuff then?", she suddenly asked. George grinned brightly, running his fingers through her hair.

"We'll go and get your stuff tomorrow. Because right now? I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you make your way to our bedroom so I can show you just how happy I am", he smirked suggestively.

"Well", she said, taking his hand in hers, "if you insist", she smirked back at him as she slowly lead him to their bedroom.


End file.
